The Second Time Around
by K.S. Feller
Summary: Quinn wakes up one day with the memories of her past life. Now, she must do everything to make sure things are different. AU Quinntana with a helluva lot of Nalex.
1. Prologue

Prologue - 20 years ago

_Remember all their face,_

_Remember all their voices._

_Everything is different_

_The second time around_

_-You've Got Time_

* * *

A blonde teenager sat on a lone bench underneath an oak tree. Her hazel eyes were closed and her lips were turned up in a smile. In front of her was a short haired brunette playing a calming tune on her violin. Her dark eyes were closed as her fingers danced on the strings. In their little haven, the outside world couldn't touch them. They were free to just be themselves.

Finally, the brunette's song finished. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she was met with fierce hazel.

"That was beautiful, Alex," the blonde complimented.

A sheepish smile formed on Alex's lips as she blushed. "Thank you, Nicole."

Nicole stood up and held her arms open. Alex quickly moved and engulfed her in an embrace. They don't know how many minutes passed with them in that position, but then again, time was non-existent in their little bubble.

After what seemed like forever, Nicole's hold on Alex tightened. "You should go to NYADA."

The brunette stiffened. "What?"

"You should follow your dream," the blonde said with a small smile as she lets Alex go.

The violinist shakes her head. "I'm not leaving you."

"I won't let myself hold you back," Nicole said firmly. "I love you."

Alex wiped the tears that formed in her eyes. "I love you, too."

Nicole's smile fell momentarily. "You'll be so far away."

"My heart will always be with you," Alex replied. She wiped the tear threatening to break free from the blonde's eye.

A beat passed between them before Nicole dropped on one knee.

"Nicky..."

Nicole gave her a charming smile. "I am proposing, in a way. I want to give you a promise." She stood up to wipe the tears in Alex's cheeks. "I love you. I've known it ever since I first saw you." She chuckled. "I was relentless, and you finally caved last year. When you said yes to me, I knew I would never do anything to lose you. I want to spend my life with you."

"Me too," Alex said through her tears.

Nicole entwines their pinkies together. "This is my promise to you. Whatever happens, even if death tears us apart, you are the only one I will love. My heart and my sould will forever be bound to you." She places a kiss atop the chained pinkies. "I will never leave as long as you'll have me."

Alex smiled and pulled Nicole closer. "I love you. You are my forever." With that, she places a kiss on the blonde's lips.

The move away from each other with happy smiles on their faces. Suddenly, Nicole's eyes sparkled as an idea struck her. She let go of Alex's hand and moved to dig through her backpack. She emerged with a small pocket knife.

"What are you doing?" Alex asked with a laugh.

Nicole ignored her as she moved to the oak tree that watched over them for so long. With her knife, she started to carve. Alex walked to her, and peeked over her shoulder.

"That's cute," she commented.

Nicole smiles sheepishly at her work - a badly carved heart with 'A + N' inside of it. She patted the bark of the sturdy tree. "This tree has been here since I first met you. In a way, our lives revolved around this tree. Here it stands tall. Like this tree, my love for you will stand strong despite whatever storm comes brewing our way. Like this tree, our promise will be forever."

Alex smiled. She loved when the aloof blonde showed this side of herself to her. She placed her hand on the bark, and sent her own little prayer.

"No matter what happens, we'll still have forever."

* * *

"Are you nervous?"

Alex shakes her head, but her eyes betray her. Nicole reached out for her and grabbed her hand, eyes not leaving the road.

"Don't worry," Nicole assured her. "You'll blow them all away."

Alex nodded but her eyes still held worry.

"Is this about your mother?" Nicole asked. Alex simply averted her eyes.

"I...I just can't believe she would do that to me," Alex's voice cracks.

Nicole sighed and pulled the car over. The highway is empty as they parked in front of a stop sign. Nicole turned in her seat to face Alex fully.

"She just needs time. Finding out that her daughter is gay is not exactly something a parent can take that easily," she said. "And whatever happens, remember that I'll always be here."

Alex smiled weakly. "Thank you."

The blonde grinned. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Alex paused and hesitated, but added, "I have something to tell you."

"Hmm?" Nicole hummed.

The brunette grinned herself as she pulls the other girl closer. "I want to be your wi-"

The sound of blaring horns, skidding tires, and metal colliding with metal cuts Alex midsentence.

* * *

Nicole's vision was blurred. Her body ached all over. Her ears were ringing.

She could faintly smell gasoline and something burning. What had happened? That sentence kept popping up in her head.

"A-Alex," she called out, her voice cracking. Her eyes scanned around. Everything was still blurred. She tried to stand up, but found a searing pain in her abdomen everytime she tried. She dropped her eyes to find a piece of metal sticking through her.

Her eyes widened. "Alex," she called out again. "Al-ex. Are you o-okay?"

She received no answer. She leaned forward again, ignoring the pain that seemed to numb her senses. Alex. Alex. She had to get to Alex.

"Alex?" she called out.

A groan.

Her eyes widened and snapped to the direction of the sound. Her heart thundered at the sight she beheld. Alex laid there, eyes closed and lips curled down in unadulterated pain. Blood. There was blood everywhere. Or maybe all Nicole could see was red.

"Alex."

The lower half of her lover's body was crushed between two pieces of metal that she couldn't recognize. All thoughts about her own pain was pushed to the back of her mind as she reached forward, trying to get to the brunette. The more she moved, the more the pain took over her senses. She was numb, but she had to reach Alex. Her hands, shaky from both the pain and her blurred eyesight, reached out for the brunette's hand.

The sound of sirens echoed in the background as Nicole held tightly on to Alex's cold hand.

"You're my forever."

* * *

**Present Day**

Quinn Fabray stands in the secluded part of the park, her hands carressing the rough bark of the old oak tree. Her fingers absentmindedly trace over the fading inscription of promises twenty years ago.

Her fingers trail over the A, something in her heart pulling her closer. Her hazel eyes close as she takes a deep breath.

"Alex," she whispers almost inaudibly.

Her eyes snap open and a smile pulls at the corners of her lips.

Her phone buzzing snaps her from her musing. She pulls it out and reads the text from Coach Sue telling her to 'get her skinny ass to practice or be the bottom of the pyramid.' She sighs and begins to jog off. A couple of feet away, she pauses and looks back to the oak tree.

"Forever," she mutters, before closing her eyes and continuing her jog.

* * *

_AN: Hello. Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. If any of you guessed the reference with Alex and Nicole, I will forever love you. Anyway, here is a short summary, if you're confused._

_Alex and Nicole promised forever twenty years ago, but during their drive to New York, they died in a car accident. In present time, their reincarnations are rivals, Quinn Fabray and Santana Lopez. This is normal. What's not normal is for Quinn to regain the memories of her past self._


	2. Chapter 1

_I realize I didn't put this in the first chapter. I apologize. Here it is._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the characters affiliated with it. I do not own Orange is the New Black or the characters in the show. I do not own the songs, books, or anything I mention or quote in this story. All of them belong to their respective owners._

_(A note, this fic will have flashbacks of Alex and Nicole. They will be in italics and will have the heading of 20 years ago and the like. There will also be time jumps. This chapter takes place _**two months before**_ the Present Day scene in the last chapter.)_

_(And have I mentioned this is mildly AU?)_

_xoxo_

_Chapter One: Alpha_

xoxo

Quinn Fabray walks down the the halls of William McKinley High with her head held high and her blonde haired tied neatly in a tight ponytail. The short red and white skirt of the Cheerios sways with every step she takes. Her eyes are fixed in a cold glare and her lips form a thin line, giving her a constantly unamused expression. Bitchy to most.

The crowd of the student body part at her entrance, and most of them keep their heads low lest they receive the fury of the HBIC.

Quinn's eyes rake over them, sneering in disgust at the pimple-filled faces of kids she assumes are from the AV club. Nerds. She didn't understand the need to mix them with people like herself. The school should have a separate building entirely for people like them.

But, then again, she supposes, they are there for good fun. The targets of pranks and venting posts when you're having a bad day.

She reaches her locker and spots another blonde leaning on her own locker, a bright smile lighting up her features. She wears the same uniform Quinn has on and has her hair in a similar ponytail.

"Morning, Q," she chirps.

Quinn gives her a rare small smile as she opens her locker. "Good morning, Britt."

Brittany Pierce, Cheerios co-captain and the only person Quinn considers a true friend, grins. "Guess who I saw around here earlier," she teases.

Quinn doesn't have to answer. As she wings her locker open, the small white envelope placed neatly atop her Biology book catches her eyes. Her smile drops and turns to a snarl. She grabs the envelope and swing around, eyes searching frantically for a familiar set of dark brown eyes. She finds none in the collection of frightened eyes in the crowd. With a grunt, she rips the envelope in half and throws it over her shoulder.

"Why did you do that? You don't even know who-" Brittany's comment is cut short when Quinn turns back to her, eyes flaming in fury.

"Oh, I know who wrote that," she growls out. "Santana _fucking_ Lopez."

Brittany's eyes fall. "You won't even read it?"

"Brittany," Quinn says her best friend's name with an exasperated sigh. "I am not gay. I don't care if that dyke wastes all of her time writing those stupid love letters and leaving them in my locker. She can go to hell."

The taller blonde's eyes light up. "How do you know it's a love letter? You've read one!" she chirps happily.

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Unfortunately." She glances at the clock at the end of the hallway. "Come on, Britts. We don't want to be late for class."

Brittany sighs, knowing from Quinn's tone that their conversation is over. She watches as Quinn grabs her book from her locker and slams it shut. She follows suit when the girl walks away, her unamused glare back in place. They pass by a row of lockers where a brunette lays hidden in the shadows. Brittany spots her and offers her a sad smile.

Santana Lopez just nods understandingly.

xoxo

Contrary to popular belief, Santana Lopez is not part of the nerd circle. In fact, she sits in a no man's land. The popular kids doesn't want to be close to her because they perceive her as a nerd. The nerdy kids doesn't want to be close to her because they perceive her as popular. In a nutshell, she is alone in the grey, ostracized from the ostracized.

Well, it isn't like she doesn't like it. She doesn't really want people drama.

Santana Lopez is intimidating. Every morning she wakes up to make sure that she looks like that - intimidating. She does her hair and make-up every morning to serve her look. Dark and gorgeous. Since freshman year, she's found that while the mysterious aura around her attracts curious eyes, the glare and frown she always wears makes them quickly avert their gazes. In a way, she is a mirror of the queen bee.

Santana isn't sure why this stupid game began. It probably started off as a dare from one of her junkie acquaintances - always acquaintances, never friends. She wrote a short letter to the queen bee in her messy handwriting saying only three simple words. The following day, the blonde staggered in her facade as she read the letter. Maybe it was that moment that drew Santana in. Maybe it was the possibility of her words having an effect on the blonde. The next day, she did it again. This time, the blonde ripped it without even much of a second glance.

Their little game continues until now. Santana has yet to entice the same reaction from the blonde.

The game is getting old. She needs to level up in her endeavors.

Santana has just the plan.

xoxo

Quinn Fabray leaves Cheerios practice utterly exhausted. All she wants to do is go home, and drown in her blankets. Brittany Pierce, on the other hand, is bright-eyed and bubbly, as per usual. Quinn regards her with dead eyes as her posture slouches. The hallway is deserted so she could relax for a while. Not many students roam the halls after dismissal, after all.

"How do you do it, B?" she asks.

Brittany just skips happily beside her best friend. "I just have a lot of energy."

Quinn deadpans. "You're the only person that still has a lot of energy after Cheerios practice."

Brittany just hums in content as they stop in front of Quinn's locker. The tired blonde sluggishly throws the locker open. Her eyebrows raise at what she sees.

Placed neatly on top of her books, instead of a white envelope, is a red rose.

Brittany peers into her friend's locker. "Oh, what's that?"

With cautious hands, Quinn pulled the rose out of her locker. "A rose."

"Do you think it's from Santana?" Brittany asks.

Quinn shakes her head. "I have no idea. She's never done something like this before. Usually it's just that letter in the morning then it's like she doesn't exist for the rest of the day."

Brittany arches her brow at the other blonde's words but says nothing.

"What should I do with it?" Quinn wonders.

"I don't know. What do you want to-" Brittany is cut mid-sentence as a reflection of light catches the corner of her eye. She turns to the end of the hallway where a familiar brunette lies obscured behind some shelves. "Hey, Quinn."

Quinn hums in response.

"Do you even know what Santana looks like?" she asks.

The queen bee ponders the question for a moment. "Vaguely. I think I saw her that day, you know, when she first left the letter in my locker. She's a Latina right?" Brittany nods. "Long, curled brown hair. Eyes as dark as night. Things like that. She could have passed as a good Cheerio if she wasn't such a nerd."

"She's not," Brittany blurted out. Her blue eyes widen momentarily as Quinn's eyes narrow.

"How do you know?"

Brittany shakes her head and tries to cover up her mistake. "I just... She doesn't look like a nerd."

Quinn's eyes are still narrowed but she lets it go. "What's all this about, anyway?"

Brittany hesitates at first before asking, "If she asked you to meet her, would you go?"

Quinn's lips contort in disgust. "Are you serious, Britt? Why would I want to meet that fag?"

The taller blonde cast her a disapproving look. "That's not very nice, Quinn." She reaches in her pocket and pulls out another rose. This time, a note is attatched. "Here."

Quinn eyes her suspiciously. "What? Brittany, you've been-"

"Just take it," the blue-eyed girl cuts her off. "And go meet her. Even if it's just to tell her off."

"I..." Quinn wants to contest much further but the rare serious look in the other blonde's eyes stop her. With a sigh, she takes the rose and joins it with the other in her hand, and begins to read the note. Written in the same messy handwriting is, "_'Girl, you know that I'm not perfect. But I'm perfect for you.'_ What is that?"

Brittany grins. "It's from a song. Perfect by Lights."

"Okay," Quinn trails off and continues reading. "_'Okay, I admit that was incredibly cheesy. But I just had to say it. I'll sing it for you, if you want. I'll be waiting at the auditorium tomorrow after your Cheerios practice.'_" Quinn hesitates but Brittany's prying eyes urge her to finish reading. "_'Signed, Lopez.'_ That's all it says."

"Why do you sound... disappointed?"

Quinn's eyes are quick to harden. "Disappointed? Are you crazy, Britt?"

Brittany just shrugs with a small smile. "So, are you going?"

"Yeah," Quinn sighs. "I mean, I have to end it now, right?"

"Or you could give her a chance," the taller blonde suggested with a grin.

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Not going to happen, Britt." She folds the note neatly and places it in her pocket, then places the roses in one of the outside pockets of her bag. "Let's go?"

Brittany eyes her friend with curiosity before smiling innocently and nodding. They walk out of the building, passing the almost invisible brunette.

"Thanks," she says almost inaudibly. Brittany just nods in response.

xoxo

Santana sits at the edge of the stage in the auditorium. The lights are closed except for the ones illuminating the stage. She trade her usual punk attire for more casual clothing. She feels so weird in her light grey hoodie and blue jeans. She wonders if this is what a girl would wear when they meet upnwith their crush.

"Wait, what?" she breathes out.

Since when did she have a crush on Quinn? It's just a stupid game. Why did she even continue it for this long? She can't possibly actually have feelings for the blonde.

"That's not possible. She's such a bitch," she whispers to herself.

So then why go to such lengths as this? To catch the blonde off-guard again? It doesn't feel right for Santana. She doesn't want this. She doesn't like how her heart beat extra fast every time she watches the blonde from the shadows.

"Fuck," she whispers harshly. She's just setting herself up for more pain.

Before she could berate herself much longer, the door opens at the end of the auditorium and a blonde cheerleader walks in. Quinn searches around until she spots the brunette on the stage. Santana stands up and greets Quinn with a nod, her hands stuffed in the fists of her pockets.

"I listened to the song. It was actually kind of good," the blonde comments as she reaches the other girl.

"Yeah?" is all Santana can croak out. She mentally slaps herself for being such a dweeb.

Quinn nods, an awkward smile playing on her lips. Finally, she gets back to why she came here in the first place. "Please stop," she says.

Santana looks up at her, confused. "I'm not doing anything."

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Stop it with the letters."

The Latina drops her eyes. "Why?"

"They're bothering me." Cold.

And here she thought she's seeing a different version of Quinn.

Quinn continues when Santana doesn't respond, "I'm not gay, Lopez. So just stop it."

This time, Santana looks up. "I don't..." What is she going to say? I don't love you? She's not so sure that's true anymore. "I'm... All I'm asking for is a chance."

"A chance? We are never going to be together, Santana."

The brunette's eyes drop again, the force of the blonde's words pounding her heart and shattering it. She bites back the tears. She's Santana Lopez and she doesn't cry. "I get it. You're not gay. I get it."

"Good. You're going to stop now?"

Santana shakes her head. "No. I'm not just going to give up. Not until you give me a chance."

Quinn sighs. "A chance? How many times do I have to-"

"A chance to be in your life somehow," Santana cuts her off. "Even as a friend."

Quinn laughs nervously. "I don't think that will work out."

"Just give me a chance. One week. After that, if you still want me gone, I'm not going to exist anymore."

Quinn eyes the girl. After a while, she nods. "Alright. One week."

xoxo

"Hey, Sam?"

_"'Sup, Quinn?"_

"I need a favor."

_"Hmm? What do you need?"_

"Blood. Pig's blood."

_"What? What for?"_

"Think it done by the end of the week."

She hangs up with a sinister smile on her face.

xoxo

_AN: This chapter is to give some background info on Quinn and Santana of this story. Next chapter will be part two._

_Beth never happened. Tina!Rachel. Bad guy Sam. No glee club._

_Shoutout to the anon with the name _**Marie**_ for getting the reference right. Nicole and Alex are from OitNB. Why? Because I ship them, that's why._

_Also, the site seems to have a problem with my story summary. It takes out some words. Ugh._

_Thank you for reading and reviewing. I deeply appreciate it. I apologize for any errors. Again, thanks._


	3. Chapter 2

_AN: Reviews dropped from over twenty to less than ten. That's kind of sad and... disappointing. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter._

xoxo

**Present Day**

Quinn opens the door of her locker with her eyes downcast. Just like the past month or so, only the sight of her textbooks, make-up, and some of her pictures with Brittany greets her. No white envelope. No second chances. No Santana.

She messed up. She messed up big time.

And now, with the memories of _someone_ pervading her thoughts, she hates herself that much more.

_Nicole Vause._

She sighs. Her muscles feel like lead as she grabs her Biology book. Another day looms ahead. Another day of putting up her facade. Another day of an invisible Santana.

Quinn leans her head on the cool metal. The Latina disappeared, just like she had promised. Quinn still wonders just how she manages to seem invisible, even when the blonde is actively soughting her out.

"Good morning, Q!" the chirpy voice of her best friend makes Quinn push herself off from her pitiful state in front of her locker. She gives the tall blonde a small smile in lieu of a greeting.

Brittany senses the girl's melancholic attitude. She's been that way for the past week. She knows it's because of a certain brunette but she doesn't say anything. Instead, she steers them to a safe conversation. Quinn seems okay with the distraction and a light smile even graces her lips.

Brittany leads them away from the locker. Her eyes trail over the row of lockers opposite Quinn's where she finds a lone brunette leaning back in the shadows.

The blue-eyed girl chuckles quietly to herself. She swears that girl is a fucking ninja.

xoxo

Quinn spends her History class with her phone hidden behind her thick textbook. Her fingers tap rapidly on the touch screen as her eyebrows furrow in concentration. Googling. Searching.

Who the hell is Nicole Vause? And why? Why does she have her memories?

"Miss Fabray," the cold reprimanding tone of her pedophile-looking teacher cut through her thoughts.

Her eyes lift lazily from her phone. She matches the man's challenging stare, bringing it up a notch with a raised brow. "Yes?"

"If you don't mind, would you please tell the class what it is you find more interesting than my subject?"

"I actually find a lot of things more interesting," the blonde's lips turn up in a smile. "But I do mind, so, is that all?"

The way Mr. Worn's face turns crimson in rage further fuels the laughs of her classmates. In turn, their teacher's anger reaches its peak. "Get out," he shouts. "Get out of my class."

"Gladly," she quips back with a smile as she grabs her things in one full sweep. She turns to leave, but pauses at the doorway. Mr. Worn's lips lift in a smug smile at the girl's hesitance. Instead of doing what he expects, Quinn turns and nods toward the white board. "It was the Spaniards that controlled the west part of the world, the Portugese held the east. It's such a simple thing to overlook." The teacher's eyes widen as he turns to stare at the board where he indeed got it mixed up.

Quinn leaves the room with a huge grin.

xoxo

Her grin doesn't last. The hallways are empty. The muted drum of chatter coming from behind the doors to the classroom is the only thing she can hear aside from the squeaks of her shoes against the floor. It's rare to see McKinley so quiet.

_So peaceful._

"Come on, over here."

Her head whips to the left. Nothing but rows of lockers and an empty hallway.

"Faster."

The harshly whispered words come again with more urgency in them than before. Quinn looks around again. Is she losing her mind? No one is there with her. Who the hell said those words?

"Wait."

Quinn freezes in her tracks. She knows that raspy voice. She runs towards it, the familiarity drawing her in.

_Santana_.

"Come on. We're gonna get caught."

Quinn stops in front of the girl's restroom where the two voices seem to be originating from. She raises her hand towards the doorknob with hesitance, but before she even reaches it, the door opens. Revealing the girl haunting her dreams for months.

Santana's eyes, which were light before, turns hard and cold as she sees the blonde. Her hand tightens its grip on the doorknob and she visibly stiffens. Quinn notices how the Latina's clothes are rumpled and how her hair is mussed up.

_No way_.

Her suspicions are confirmed when a redhead peers over Santana's shoulders questioningly. Grey eyes spark with understanding as she realizes who it is. Her clothes and hair are in the same messy state as Santana's.

"I-" Quinn's words get stuck in her throat as she shakes her head unconsciously. Her eyes are clouding. Her heart feels like hundreds of termites are eating at it.

Santana doesn't once take her eyes off her.

"I thought- You- Who-" Quinn's words are still an unintelligable mess. She doesn't even care that she's making a fool of herself. The pain is getting stronger every second. It's not termites anymore. Quinn's fucking sure that some sick savage beast is clawing at her chest, devouring her heart, making it impossible to breath.

Without taking her eyes off of Quinn, Santana turns, pulls the redhead to her, and engulfes her lips in a kiss.

_Oh_, Quinn thinks. _So that's how it feels to get your heart broken._

xoxo

She's not sure how long she's been crying. She's not even sure if she has any more tears left to shed. Brittany is playing with her hair as she lays her head on the taller blonde's lap. She's such a good friend.

She had warned her back then.

"Britt?" Her voice comes out small and feeble. God, why did she have to sound so pathetic? Brittany hums in response. "Do I deserve this?"

Through cloudy eyes, she sees the girl nod.

She lets out a sardonic laugh. "Way to make me feel better, B."

Blue eyes regard her blankly. They aren't harsh or cold or sympathetic or biting. She just stares. "You broke her first."

Quinn closes her eyes and her heart feels like it's in a vice grip again. Yeah, yeah she did. She was so fucking stupid for doing that. She's stupid for still not making it right.

"Do you believe in soul mates, Q?" Brittany's voice breaks her from her self-hate.

"What?"

"Soul mates," Brittany repeats, her fingers pausing from threading through Quinn's locks. "Two people who are meant to be. Two people whose love will overcome every challenge and surpass the tests of time. Do you believe it exists?"

Quinn didn't. "I don't know, B. Do you?"

The blonde nods. "My parents are soulmates. Mom would keep saying that Dad is such a slob, but she'd clean up his mess with a smile on her face. Dad would complain that Mom talks too much, but he still listens to every word she says."

Quinn can't help but smile. She's met Brittany's parents only once but that's enough to learn just how the girl became who she is. She was raised in a world of love.

"I thought you and Santana were as well."

Quinn's smile drops. Her and Santana? Soulmates? A couple of months ago, she would have killed anyone who told her that. Well, maybe she wouldn't have. Maybe she would have flushed and bit her lip and denied it. Much like what she's doing now.

"We're not."

Brittany shrugged. "I've never been wrong before, Quinn. You know that."

"But she hates me."

"Then make her un-hate you," Brittany states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

If only it were that easy.

xoxo

Nicole Vause.

Quinn types the name in the Google search bar and hits enter.

Nothing comes up. They're all just random bullshit about the wrong sorts of persons. She sighs and goes back to the search bar.

Alex Nichols.

Maybe if it's her.

"Wow," Quinn breathes out.

_Violin prodigee wins first place at international competition._

_Alex Nichols leads cheering team to championship._

_Valedictorian Alex Vause tops NYADA entrance examination._

The girl was perfect. No wonder her past self fell hard.

The memories she has are vague. All she can picture clearly are memories under that oak tree. Memories with this girl. Memories of Nicole and Alex.

Whispered promises.

That's when she sees it. A news article twenty years ago.

_Two recently graduated students die in car accident_.

Broken futures. With a shaky breath, she scrolls down to read more.

_At exactly 11:37 pm last Friday evening, local police were informed by a patrolling car of a car accident just before the town limits. A small Honda and an eight-wheeler truck met in an unfortunate crash at an intersection. The truck driver is suffering from heavy injuries, but the doctors confirms that he will live. The two girls in the car, however, both died before the paramedics arrived. Alex Nichols and Nicole Vause have recently graduated from the local highschool and were headed to New York for college. The families of the girls are deeply grieved about their children's untimely death. The driver was drinking while driving, police says._

Quinn licks her quiverring lips, and suddenly, memories of that night becomes so clear. Her chest contracts and her head feels like it's being pounded by a steel hammer, and by the end of it, she's breathless.

She sits frozen on her chair until Brittany comes in her room to find tears streaming endlessly down her cheeks.

xoxo

Quinn sports a pair of dark sunglasses the next day.

She makes her way to her locker, ignoring the looks the student body is giving her. She doesn't have time for them. She pauses when she sees someone leaning on her locker. With narrowed eyes, she makes her way to the brunette with striking blue highlights.

"What do you want?"

Brown eyes look up at her lazily. There's some kind of haze in them that Quinn can't see through. She's exactly the same as she was two months ago.

"I'm here to give you this," Rachel holds out a small white envelope. Quinn's sure her heart suddenly stoped beating. The goth seems to sense this as she pushes the envelope to Quinn's chest. "This isn't from Santana."

Quinn's mouth hangs open. What did she expect? That the girl would suddenly go back to old times? She's demented to think that.

Rachel saunters off as soon as she's certain Quinn has the envelope. Quinn's not sure how long she stood there with the envelope in her hand.

Brittany comes bouncing to a stop next to her. She eyes her friend before plucking out the envelope from the blonde's grasp. She reads the letter encased inside and frowns.

"That's not very nice."

Quinn finally finds her voice and says, "What does it say?"

"'_You had your chance. Now back off.'_"

Quinn's brow arches up. "Who's it from?"

Brittany reads the paper again. "Kayleigh."

Who the fuck is Kayleigh? "Who the fuck is Kayleigh?"

"Language," Brittany chastises before continuing nonchalantly, "Kayleigh is Santana's girlfriend."

Yep. Quinn's heart had stopped beating.

That fucking redhead.

xoxo

_AN: Yes, remember that thing I said last chapter about what this chapter would have. Yeah, it's not happening. I tried writing the second part of the before part, but I just got lazy and decided to do this instead. Also, I got distracted by Naomi Campbell. So the next chapter would probably be an Alex/Nicky flashback. I apologize for the non-shippers. You will be seeing a lot of them._

_Also, new character. Kayleigh! I have no surname for her yet so suggestions are welcome._

_Next chapter should come out after our Finals week. Goodluck to me, and all of you._

_Much love._


	4. Chapter 3

_AN: Sorry for the delay. I have no internet access in the house and it sucks._

xoxo

**Twenty years ago**

_Alex Nichols was perfection personified._

_She was a tall girl with jet black cropped hair. She was the head cheerleader and, thus, the queen bee. She was the only daughter of world-renown surgeon and famous pianist. Her violin harmonies were angelic. Her voice was the same. To add to all of that, she ruled the high school with a kind heart._

_Perfection. She was almost too good to be real._

_Nicole always watched her from far away._

_She first saw this goddess during their freshman year when she was trying out for the track team. The try-outs for the cheerleading squad was being held in the same field. Nicole was running at full speed around the track. She loved it. She loved the freedom. She loved feeling the wind whip around her. She loved being able to tune out the world for a couple of minutes. It was her piece of heaven on earth._

_But when she saw her, she stopped. She halted in her tracks, unmovable. Her eyes didn't leave the sight before her and her breath catched at her throat._

_She was gorgeous._

_Alex stood there, ten feet away from her, stretching. Her tee rode up as she raised her arms, and Nicole saw the toned abs hiding underneath it. Alex's sinfully short shorts made her legs look like they could go on for miles. And her face... God, her face looked like it was carved by angels._

_Alex turned and looked straight at Nicole._

_Her eyes. Nicole was sure she just drowned in those endless pools of brown._

_Alex smiled shyly as she tucked a stray strand of raven locks behind her ear and Nicole couldn't help her foolish grin._

_So that's how it felt to fall in love._

xoxo

_For three years, Nicole watched. Three years._

_All they shared were shy smiles in the hallways and stolen looks at the classes they shared._

_Nicole was addicted._

_It was always the best part of her day._

_She craved it._

_She craved her._

_She was free-falling, and she was loving the feeling of the wind whipping around her._

xoxo

_Track practice finished, and Nicole's shower was nothing short of refreshing._

_"Hey, Vause," Ashley threw a towel in her direction. She caught it expertly. "It's 4:30."_

_Her eyes widened, and she quickly dried her hair with the towel. Without wasting a second, she ran out of the room with her things, leaving in her wake her chuckling friends._

_She ran past the art building, peering for a slight second to see that the class was dispersing and the brunette was already gone. Her smile grows as she raced past students and towards the hallway connecting the main building to the art facilities. She hid at the corner of the hallway, peaking now and then for a familiar girl to turn the other corner. Finally she spotted the tall brunette, her hand clutching the strap of her backpack. Her own eyes seemed to be seeking out something in the crowd as well._

_Nicole collected herself with a huge breath before she walked down the hallway, an aloof smile playing on the corners of her lips. Alex's eyes found her as the walked towards each other. Nicole's heart was pounding in her chest as they got closer to each other. She could feel Alex's eyes on her and she couldn't tear her gaze away._

_They passed each other after another intense staring contest. Nicole bit her lip and paused in her tracks._

_Three years of this. Three years of silence. Three years of being in love with Alex Nichols and never doing anything about it. That was not her. Nicole wasn't a coward. With a nod to herself and a deep breath, she turned around and called out, "Hey."_

_Alex paused at the corner of the hallway. She bit her lip to hide her grin. Her heart kept pounding erratically in her chest. She turned and quickly found hazel eyes staring back at her._

_"Hi."_

xoxo

**Present**

Quinn slowly opens her eyes to the image of her room. She's had another one of those dreams. The flashbacks.

She sighs as she brings herself to sit up. Her eyes hurt, not because of sleep, but because she fell asleep crying.

God. If she was going to be in love with a girl, why did it have to be Santana? After everything she did to her. Ugh.

The sound of her phone blasting Walking Backwards takes her away from her thoughts. She grabs it from its place on her bedside table and presses answer.

_"Good morning, Q!"_

Quinn yawns as she stands up. "Morning, Britt. Do you need a ride to school?"

_"No, it's fine. I just called to see if you're okay."_

She smiles. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

_"Cause you kind of passed out yesterday when I told you Kayleigh is Santana's girlfriend now."_

"I-" Quinn sighs. "I was just surprised, is all."

_"Don't be sad, Quinn. Santana totally still wants to have sweet lady kisses with you even if she's having sweet lady kisses with Kay."_

"Umm? Thanks?"

_"You're welcome, Qui-"_ Loud banging and glass breaking interrupts Brittany. _"Sorry, Q. I gotta go. Tubby's high again."_

"Alright, B. We'll take him to rehab again this weekend. Bye." She ends the call and plops back down on her bed. "Fuck." She doesn't want to go to school. School means the possibility of seeing Santana, or worse, Kayleigh.

Seriously, what did she do in her past life to deserve all this?

"God," she breathes out. "What the fuck did you do back then Nicole?"

She sighs for the umpteenth time that morning and stands up. She makes her way down to their kitchen, where Judy Fabray is sporting a glass of champagne. She spots Quinn and nods her glass towards her daughter. "Good morning, darling."

Quinn ignores her alcoholic mother. She's just thankful her equally alcoholic father isn't awake yet. She sits down on one of the chairs at the island and munches on the bagel her mother handed her from the fridge.

"Quinn, you don't have anything important to do this weekend, do you, dear?" Judy asks without the usual slur in her words.

Quinn doesn't bother looking up from her phone. "Britts and I are taking her cat to rehab."

"What?"

Quinn sighs. "What do you want, mom?"

Judy composes herself. "Well, you father's boss, Arthur Withers, you know him, right?" Quinn nods. "He's hosting a small get together for his daughter's birthday."

"So?" Quinn asks lazily. She already knows where this is going.

"Your father wants us to at-"

"No."

"But Quinn. That's your father's boss. He can't not-"

"Then let him go. There's no need to drag me there as well." Quinn adds under her breath, "I could do with peace here every once in a while."

"Please, Quinn. It's a family event. Just think of who pays for everything you have right now."

Quinn shakes her head. She's got enough problems. She doesn't want to deal with helping her parents keep up appearances.

"Just, give yourself time to think about it. You still have the rest of the week to think."

"Whatever," Quinn breathes out as she stands up and walks back up to her room.

xoxo

Quinn walks up to her locker where Brittany is patiently waiting. Or, not so patiently. She's fiddling with a piece of blue post-it.

"Hey, B," she greets.

Blue eyes turn to her hastily. "Hi, Quinn."

"Watcha got there?"

Brittany grins as she holds out the post it for Quinn to see. Quinn's eyes widen in recognition as she quickly snatches it from her best friend's hands.

"T-This..." she breathes our shakily. "Where did you get this?"

At this, Brittany's smile falters. "Well..."

Quinn waits, her eyes not leaving the adorably messy handwriting on the small piece of paper. She couldn't believe Brittany found it.

"Santana... Well, she... She gave it to me."

Quinn's head whips up. "Santana?" How did the paper find its way back to Santana?

Brittany shrugs. "Yeah. She was, kind of, emptying her locker." She pulls out something from her pocket and holds it out for Quinn.

"She's throwing me out of her life?" Quinn asks with teary eyes as she takes the silver tear drop necklace from the other girl's hand.

"You hurt her, Quinn," Brittany whispers.

Quinn couldn't help herself from nodding. She feels as though she couldn't breath. She's well aware of the looks she's receiving from the crowd, but she ignores them. "And now, she doesn't want me anymore."

"Isn't that what you want?"

Quinn had to clasp her hand over her mouth to silence the sob wrecking through her. _'This is what you want, right?'_ Her words from the incident echoes clearly in Quinn's mind.

Strong arms quickly wrap around her. Brittany runs her fingers through the blonde's hair as she tries to console her friend.

"I fucked up," Quinn whispers in Brittany's shoulder.

The taller blonde nods. She knows Quinn is just guilty about the incident. She's still not brave enough to face her feelings. She plants a kiss on her best friend's hair and pulls back to stare into hazel eyes.

"You're going to make this right. You're going to fix this."

Quinn nods, wiping the tears with the back of her hand. "Will she forgive me?"

"Someday."

xoxo

_AN: Originally meant to be two different chapters but they were too short so I combined them._

_Now, in the last chapter, most of your concerns are about the Quinntana flashback part two. Worry not. I will write it. It will be longer than most of the chapters I've written so far. The reason it's not being posted yet is because I'm still not happy about how it's coming out. Writing Santana's backstory is kind of hard and I want it to be awesome so it probably won't come out for a while. Maybe in two chapters or so._

_Edit: It's done, and it's going to be the next chapter._

_Off topic question: How cute is Dantana? *fangirl screaming* I will definitely include some Dani here but she won't be too much of a main character. Still, our 100% sapphic goddess needs to be here!_

_I apologize for this chapter's shortness. Review and tell me what you think._


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four - Two months before_

xoxo

Quinn Fabray opens the door of her locker the next morning to find the usual white envelope sitting there. She looks around. Only a handful of students roam the halls at the early hour. She takes the risk and pulls out the envelope. Hesitantly, she opens it.

Inside is a folded piece of paper. She opens it and reads.

'_Thanks for giving me a chance._' At the bottom of the page is a cute drawing of a punk girl with both thumbs up and flashing a huge smile. The blonde couldn't stop the smile that crept up her lips.

"Hmm? What's that?"

Quinn quickly hides the paper in her locker like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The smile on Brittany's lips could've rivaled the cheshire cat's.

"I'm so proud of you, Q!" Brittany chirps happily.

The shorter blonde rolls her eyes. "Don't get your hopes up too high, B. I'm just going to show her the side of Quinn Fabray that she would loathe to be with."

Brittany's smile falters at the cold look in hazel eyes. She feels something boil in her stomach. This would end badly. Very badly.

xoxo

"Well, this is awkward."

Quinn mutely agrees. She can't denythe awkward tension that hung over them as they sit in Quinn's room - Quinn on the edge of her bed and Santana on the chair by the blonde's laptop. She doesn't know what to say. What do you say to the girl leaving you love notes in your locker and now wants to become friends with you?

Finally, Santana sighs and stands up. Quinn's eyes momentarily light up in hope that Santana's giving up. To her disappointment, Santana just stares at her.

"Well?" Quinn asks after a beat.

Santana blurts out, "What music do you listen to?"

"Huh?"

The Latina hesitates for a second, before she composes herself and repeats her question. "I mean, if we're going to try and be friends, I thought we should at least get to know each other."

This is her chance. "No. You wanted to be my friend. I only agreed to get you off my back. You're not making this worth it." She crosses her arms over her chest and plants a bored look on her face.

Santana purses her lip and seems to be considering going home. Well, in Quinn's opinion at least. "Just give-"

"No, you're right," Santana interrupts her. "You're right. This whole talking thing sucks. It's not fun. I have to take you somewhere fun."

Quinn sighs. The girl's stubborn, she'll give her that. But she would not go to whatever freakish place Santana considered to be _fun_.

Before Quinn could complain, Santana grabs her hand and drags them out of the house. She stops at the driveway of the Fabrays, a wheezing Quinn behind her.

"What the hell, Lopez?" Quinn growls when she catches her breath.

Santana ignores her question and keeps her eyes on the two cars in the blonde's house's garage. "Can you drive? Do you have a license?"

"Why?"

"I'm taking you somewhere fun," Santana answers with a grin.

Quinn couldn't deny that the girl's smile is contageous. "If you're taking me somewhere, then you should be the one driving."

The brunette's smile falls at this. "I- I can't- I don't- I'm not-" She closes her glassy eyes and takes a deep breath. Quinn frowns as she watches the brunette try to stop from breaking down. After a while, Santana opens her eyes and says, "It would be much better if you drive."

Quinn couldn't understand the other girl's hesitance, but she didn't push. She just couldn't find it in herself after shooting a glance at Santana. She runs back to her house to grab the keys for her mother's SUV. She runs back out to see that Santana hasn't moved at all. She just stands there, lost in a daze.

"Hey, freak," Quinn calls out without the venom she intended. "Let's go?"

Santana snaps away from her thoughts and grins at the blonde. "Yeah. Let's go."

xoxo

"This is... wow."

Santana couldn't contain her grin. "So I take it you like the place?"

Quinn's eyes doesn't leave the sight before her. "Like it? I love it! I never knew a place like this even existed."

"It is pretty amazing. Most people from Lima don't go here though so they don't notice this event."

Quinn nods. She was skeptical at first when Santana made her drive through the more dangerous parts of Lima, thinking that she would be brutally murdered. But Santana surprised her when she told her to keep driving past the abandoned buildings and junkies loitering around, because past them is this huge field where tents are put up, people are walking around, and hot air balloons are being lifted up the bright blue sky. "I never knew."

"It is always the darkest before dawn," Santana mutters. "Most people lose hope in that dark place, never knowing how close they are to the light they yearn. Most people become too scared to take the route to get here. That's why they miss out on all this."

Quinn tears her eyes from the dog hot air balloon to shoot a look in Santana's direction. "You're such a little freak."

The Latina grins, knowing there's no malice in Quinn's words. "Wanna go eat something?"

Hazel eyes roll but she smiles nonetheless. "Lead the way."

xoxo

"How the hell can you eat something as greasy as this?" Quinn complains as she inspects the hotdog sandwich as though it's an insect.

Santana laughs as she sits down next to Quinn on one of the benches looking over the entire field. Here, they had a great view of all the booths and the colorful balloons filling the sky. She has a similar dish in hand, filled with catsup, mayo, and dressing. "It's delicious. And I know Sue Sylvester doesn't allow the Cheerios to eat crap like this, but I thought you would appreciate the normality."

"Normality?" Quinn gasps, aghast. "This is freakish, Santana."

Santana laughs again. "Do you not know any word other than freak?"

Quinn pouts as she pokes at the hotdog. She makes a disguted noise when catsup drips down the side. "This is disgusting. I swear, if I eat this, I'll puke my brains out."

"Just try it." The Latina flashes her a sly grin. "Or is the great Quinn Fabray too chicken for this?"

This gets the blonde to frown and puff out her cheeks. Santana couldn't stop the melodic laughter leaving her lips at the sight, and egged Quinn on to eating the sandwich. She doesn't even care that her own catsup is dripping down her jeans. She couldn't tear away her challenging gaze or Quinn would bail. The blonde, however, hesitantly put the sandwich to her lips and took a tentative bite. Santana erupts in laughter again at the wide eyed look on Quinn's face.

"Oh my God," Quinn moans out. "This is weirdly amazing."

"Mouthgasm," Santana mumbles as she takes a bite of her sandwich as well, chuckling in triumpth.

"This is so so wrong," the blonde shakes her head as she takes a huge bite of her hotdog, almost taking half of it, and moaning. "But it tastes so good."

A small blush coats Santana's cheeks as she watches Quinn devour her food. She couldn't believe she's seeing this side of Quinn - the beautiful side, inside and out. She drops her gaze back to her hotdog, andagrees to Quinn's sentiment. _This is so so wrong._

xoxo

The sky is darkening quickly and people are starting to leave. Santana half-drags Quinn to one of the rainbow colored hot air balloons that had just landed on the ground. An elderly couple exits the vehicle, aided by three men that seems to be maneuvering the aircraft.

Hazel eyes widen when she realizes where Santana's taking her. "We're going to ride one?" Quinn asks, her voice full of wonder, as though Santana had just given her a Christmas present months early.

Santana shoots her a grin as they come to a stop next to one of the three men, the one with clearly dyed blonde hair, and says cheekily, "I didn't bring you here just to eat some greasy hotdog, Quinn. I told you. Fun." She gazes up the huge balloon. "We're going to have fun."

The blonde man finally realizes someone is there and turns to Santana with a bright smile. "Santana. It was getting late. I thought you weren't joining us this year," he comments with a thick Scottish accent.

The Latina shakes her head. "Of course not. I just got a little side tracked." She nods to Quinn who gives the man a small smile. "This is Quinn. Quinn, this is Dean. He built this."

Quinn's lips form an 'o'. "You built this? That's so amazing."

"Yeah. It took a lot of work, but it's my masterpiece," he gazes at the craft lovingly. "This is where I proposed to my wife." Quinn makes a soft 'aww' noise as Santana just watches proudly. "Since then, couples have been riding this." His eyes turn to Santana, not noticing the way the blonde stiffens. "Santana's been the only one to ride it alone. I'm glad she's with someone now, though."

Santana coughs awkwardly, noticing the cheerleader's discomfort. "Quinn's a good friend, Rob. It's getting late. Are you planning to not let us ride or something?"

The blonde man just smiles knowingly. "A'ight. Sorry to keep you waiting, lads. Hop on aboard."

He opens the basket for the two girls and Santana drags Quinn inside. Before Quinn could say anything, the hot air balloon is in the air, hovering along with the ten-ish more balloons in the sky. Up there, they had a perfect view of the sunset over Lima City Limits.

"Wow," Quinn breathes out, completely forgetting that her hand is still entwined with Santana's. "This is so beautiful."

Santana's breath hitches almost inaudibly as she turns her gaze towards the blonde. The pinkish-orange light hit her at just the right moment, making her look like an angel with a halo surrounding her. "You're so beautiful," Santana breathes out without realizing.

Quinn turns and smiles shyly. Her eyes shift to their hands and Santana quickly tries to withdraw it, but Quinn tightens her grip and doesn't allow it. "You know," she begins. "I was really surprised when I saw your letter. _'You're so beautiful' _was all it said. I guess that was what threw me. I expected a love letter to say _'I love you'_ or something."

The Latina grins. "I meant it. You're beautiful, Quinn. Everyone can attest to that." She chuckles. "But you spend so much of your time putting on this cold exterior that most people don't appreciate that you're also beautiful on the inside."

Quinn's sure her face is burning and she turns away from the other girl to hide it. Her heart is hammering in her chest because, seriously, no one has ever told her stuff like that before. And she doesn't know why, _just why_, she's reacting this way to the Latina's words.

"Did you have fun today?" Santana asks after the silence.

Quinn's blush had died down and she turns to look at Santana. "Yeah. More than I've had in a long while."

A sad smile finds its way on the Latina's lips. "Me too."

Quinn's about to ask what's wrong when the balloon suddenly starts to be pulled back down. She closes her mouth, thankful for the interuption. She isn't sure what would happen if she had asked.

Rob opens the door for them as they reach the ground, and they say their goodbyes warmly. They don't break off their entwined hands as they ride home.

Santana couldn't keep the smile from her face.

_Day One, success._

xoxo

"How is your plan working out, Q?" Brittany asks as she settles on her seat next to Quinn on Spanish the next day. She already knows the answer, but feels it would be better to have Quinn say it for herself. After all, she's rooting more for Santana's plan to work than her best friend's.

Quinn answers her nonchalantly, "I've got it under control."

Brittany ignores her answer and focuses on the faraway look in Quinn's eyes. With a happy giggle, she pulls out her phone and sends out a text. _She'll thank me for this. She'll be happy._

xoxo

Lunch time rolls around, and Quinn and Brittany make their way towards the cafeteria. But instead of taking their usual path, Brittany pulls the shorter blonde towards the auditorium.

"B? What the- Where are we going?"

The taller blonde ignores her and pushes her inside the double doors. With a huge grin and a knowing smile, she closes the doors, leaving Quinn alone in the semi-lit auditorium.

"Thought you'd find a quiet picnic more fun than the rough house that is called _'high school cafeterias'_." a raspy voice states. Quinn's head whips towards one of the chairs in the darker portion of the audience. Santana steps in the light later with a picnic basket in hand and a grin on her face.

"So you make my best friend kidnap me?" Quinn rolls her eyes when Santana chuckles cheekily. "How do you even do that?"

"Brittany and I met at a ho-hospital when I was five," Quinn ignores the hitch in Santana's voice at the word. "It wasn't hard to like Brittany and since then, we've been this sort of secret friends."

"She never told me about you."

"If she did that would have destroyed the idea of a secret," Santana answers with a grin. This earns her a playful shove from the blonde. "Come on then. I cooked so I can attest that this is going to be the best meal of your life."

"In your dreams, Lopez," Quinn teases as they make their way to the stage. She can't believe how easy this is becomming. She couldn't believe she's sitting here, at the stage of the auditorium, having lunch with Santana _fucking_ Lopez. Never in a million years.

Santana's dish is pasta topped with something that looks deliciously, _sinfully_, like bacon. "What is that?" Quinn asks despite already knowing the answer.

The Latina grins at her. "Don't worry. I put parsley and other stuff there so it balances the healthy with the yummy."

Quinn chokes on her saliva as she stiffles a laugh. "I can't believe you just said that."

"I'm full of surprises, me," Santana states as she hands a fork over to the blonde. "Come on."

Quinn accepts the fork and mutters, "I swear, you're planning on making me fat." Santana just hums in acknowledgement as Quinn takes a small dollop of the dish, and has a similar reaction when she ate the hotdog sandwich.

"Why does everything taste so much better these days?" Quinn moans out.

"They've always tasted better. You just never tried them."

The Latina's smug grin makes Quinn stick out her tongue at her. "Whatever. Let me get fat in peace."

Santana chuckles but stays quiet for the remainder of lunch.

xoxo

Cheerios practice is hell on earth, and Quinn is sure Sue Sylvester is the embodiment of Satan herself. She's exhausted, and not even the warm sprinkle of water in her shower relaxed her muscles. Still, she cleanses herself of the sweat stuck on her skin and tries to fight off the want to fall asleep.

"Quinn!"

The loud voice of her best friend knocks her from her thoughts. "What, B?"

"You have to get out, now."

"What's wrong?"

"Just get out."

Quinn sighs, but does as she's ordered, because of the blonde's tone. The sight of one of her t-shirts and jeans bombard her as she gets out.

"Did you take this from my house, Britt?" she asks, because she's certain she has a different set of clothes in her locker.

Sure enough, Brittany nods. "Your clothes weren't comfortable enough, so I got you these."

Quinn nods slowly as she takes the attire from her friend's hand. Once she's fully dressed, she finds herself dragged out of the building. She seems to be getting dragged a lot these days.

She finds herself in the parking lot of the school. It is mostly empty as no one really wants to hang around school after classes are over. She sees, though, a familiar blob of brown hair near Brittany's bright yellow car.

"Thanks, Britt," Santana says once the duo is close enough.

The taller blonde flashes her a thumbs up, before promptly pouting. "It sucks that I can't come with you."

"I'll take you with me next time," Santana assures. "Can you give the keys to Quinn, please."

"Keys?" Quinn finally asks as Brittany hands her the set of keys with a duck keychain on it.

Santana nods and gets in the passenger seat of the vehicle, as though that explains everything. It kind of does. Quinn just nods, already knowing that Santana has some kind of aversion to driving. She smiles at Brittany who gives her a thumbs up befoee running back inside the building.

"How will Britts get home? Her house is about forty minutes from here on foot," Quinn asks as she starts the engine.

Santana double checks her seatbelt and Quinn's before answering, "She's taking my bicycle. She likes it better anyway."

Quinn hums in agreement. She could see how Brittany would love a bike. "So, where are we going today?"

"The amusement park."

"There's no amusement parks in Lima."

"There is."

xoxo

The car comes to a stop in the empty lot in front of an amusement park just at the outskirts of Lima. In bright neon lights just above the entrance is 'Wonderland'. The traffic of customers is slow, considering it's a Wednesday.

"I know this place. Brittany kept on asking me to take her here when it opens." She shoots a look at the Latina, who just smiles back. "This wasn't supposed to open til next week."

Santana bites her lip in an effort to contain her excited chuckle. "Well, I guess someone urged them to open earlier."

From the playful glint in brown eyes, Quinn knows Santana had something to do with it. It kind of made something flutter in her stomach, but she stomped it dead before it could mean anything. Fun. Friends. Just fun. "Let's go before the lines get too long."

She's about to open the door when Santana reaches over the center consolen and grabs her wrist. She turns back with a questioning look to be met with two tickets that said 'VIP'. With a huge grin, Santana stripped a part of the ticket and linked the adhesive around Quinn's wrist. She does the same to herself.

"We're VIP?" Quinn asks, a bit dumbfounded.

Santana nods. "So we won't have to wait in line."

So she gets the amusement park to open a week early and gets them VIP passes. Quinn couldn't deny that she's impressed. "Keep this up, Lopez, and I might just keep you."

The answer she gets is melodic laughter.

xoxo

The first ride Quinn drags Santana to is the Tornado. It's this huge rollercoaster with gigantic loops and dangerously high falls. The promise of this ride was what intrigued Quinn when she heard about Wonderland three months ago. The line is long, considering the amount of people in the park today, and the two girls receive countless shouts and protests when they simply walk up to the skinny geeky guy in charge and showed them their bracelet-tickets.

As the kid opens the gate for them to go through, Quinn suddenly finds that Santana is rooted to where she stands and all color drains from her face.

"You want to ride that? Now?" Santana asks, incredulous.

Quinn grins at the Latina's hesitance. "It's an amusement park, Santana. Rollercoasters are why people come here."

The whine that leaves Santana's lips as the sound of screaming from above makes Quinn chuckle. She holds her hand out and grabs the shaking tan ones from the Latina's sides. This makes brown eyes turn back to her. "Come on. I'll be here. Don't worry."

From somewhere in the line, a voice calls out, "Yeah! Don't be a pussy!"

"You heard them, Lopez."

Santana seems to hesitate at first, but with a quick glance to their entwined hands and then hazel eyes, she takes a deep breath and nods. "Right. Let's do this."

Quinn lets out an excited squeal as she drags Santana to the ride.

xoxo

As soon as the ride falls to a stop, Santana runs out and past the people waiting in line who just shoots her amused chuckles. Quinn follows and soon is beside the Latina who sits on one of the nearby benches.

"We are never doing that again." Santana slurs.

Quinn plops down next to her, eyes still wide from the adrenaline. Not many know it, but Quinn Fabray is an adrenaline junkie. She loved the feeling of her blood pumping furiously through her veins. And when they were on the Tornado, with Santana gripping the harness so tight that her knuckles turned white, she had never received a high like that before. It was different, laughing and screaming with the Latina. But she couldn't, _wouldn't_, analyze what it means. "You okay?"

"No," the brunette whines. "The world is still spinning."

Quinn faux-cringed. "You're not going to puke, are you?"

Santana slowly shakes her head. "You're safe. Don't worry." Quinn releases a breath if relief. "But can I just veto extreme rides for a while?"

A sinister grin finds its way to the blonde's lips. "Sure. For a while."

Santana's groan is enough to send Quinn laughing.

xoxo

"Yep. You truly are making me fat," Quinn states as Santana hands her a deep-fried corndog. "One greasy food after another."

Santana takes a messy bite out of her own corndog. "You love it."

The blonde only hums in response as she eats her food. They enjoy the comfortable silence for a while, just watching the kids playing excitedly on the bump cars.

"Why didn't you ever try out for the Cheerios?" Quinn suddenly asks.

Santana takes the time to think as she swallows the last bit of her corndog. "For one, I can't eat stuff like this every day," she begins. "And, uhh, my sister was..."

Quinn cocks her head to the side as she examines the other girl. Her eyes light up in recognition. "Oh my God. You're Gabriella Lopez's younger sister." Santana visibly flinches at her sister's name but nods nonetheless. "She was a goddess for the Cheerios. She became captain her freshman year but then she-" Hazel eyes widen in surprise. Santana bites her lips and moisture forms at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No it's fine."

Quinn could see that no, it's not fine. "Wanna talk about it?"

Santana just shakes her head and composes herself. "Today's about fun. Let's not talk about depressing topics, yeah?"

The blonde nods. "But you have to talk to me about this someday."

Santana hums in response. "Someday."

xoxo

"Let's ride that," Santana says eagerly, pointing at the carousel. Quinn flashes her an 'are you serious?' face. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"It's a carousel, Santana," Quinn deadpans. "You're so lame."

The Latina pouts. "No, I'm not."

The blonde grins as she shakes her head. "You so are."

"Come on, Quinn," Santana urges. "I rode your stupid rollercoaster."

Quinn rolls her eyes but sighs in defeat. Santana squeals in excitement. _She's like a cute little kid. Wait, what? Focus, Fabray._

Santana drags them both to the ticket guy, who lets them pass when he sees their wrists. Santana is quick to jump on one of the porcelain horses, and Quinn takes the one next to hers.

"You ready for the greatest ride of your life, Fabray?"

Hazel eyes roll. "Surprise me, Lopez."

Santana's cheeky grin makes Quinn smile as well. As the ride slowly roars to life, Santana snap her head to the front and points, "Onwards!"

Quinn laughs as she mimics the girl's motions. "Eat my dust, Lopez."

"Hell no!" Santana leans forward to fauz-whisper in her horse's ear. "Let's show them what we got, Sapphire."

Quinn was about to ask about the name when she notices the blue mane on the horse. She let out a booming laugh and soon Santana joins her. She's aware they look like a couple of lunatics but she couldn't find it within herself to care. No, not when Santana is smiling at her as if she makes everything better.

xoxo

"Was I right or was I right?" Santana asks with a smug, yet slightly breathless, grin as she walk out of the ride.

Quinn, who is still stiffling her giggles, flashes her a look. "You were right."

Santana's grin grows. "Where to next, my lady?" she asks, throwing in a bow. They both explode in giggles at her antics.

The blonde looks around for a ride, and her eyes land on the gigantic ferriswheel. She points at it and sees as Santana pales. "Scared of heights?" The Latina nods, and Quinn takes her hand. "It's fine. Let's just choose another one." She looks around for another ride. It's getting late already and the only rides left that they hadn't taken are ones that can be considered extreme. Quinn was about to suggest they pass on the rides when Santana squeezes her hand.

"Let's go to your stupid ferris wheel."

Quinn grins. "You sure?" Santana nods. "All right. Let's go." She drags them to the direction of the ride and soon they are seated in one of the cars. Santana is stoic in her seat.

"You didn't have a problem with the balloon," Quinn observed. "Why is it different here?"

Santana's eyes turn cold as she looks out. The lights from the carnival is beautiful, but Quinn couldn't appreciate them fully knowing that something was wrong with her companion.

"My fath- He- I just- I can't-" She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Quinn feels as though she's having de-ja-vu. "I can't tell you the reason without telling you everything."

Quinn nods in understanding. "Someday?" she offers.

"Someday," Santana nods. She looks out of the car and stiffens. They're almost to the peak of the ride.

"Hey, what music do you listen to?"

The Latina whips her head to look at the blonde. "Huh?"

"What music do you listen to?" Quinn repeats, a glint evident in her eyes.

Santana grins. Quinn's distracting her. "Everything."

"No particular music genre?"

"Nope. You?"

"I like a bit of rock."

Santana's eyes widen. "Who would've thought."

The blonde laughs and moves on to another question. "Any hobbies?"

"I like to read."

Quinn nods. "Me too."

They continue on like that, asking each other questions, learning, for the rest of the ride. Quinn ignores the nagging vokce at the back of her mind asking her why she's so curious to get to know the girl in front of her. She ignores it and soon the ride comes to a stop. They walk out of the car and Santana relaxes even more.

"Was today a success?"

Quinn nods. "Yeah. Have lunch with me and B tomorrow?"

Brown eyes widen. "You want to be seen with me?"

"Sure. So, you in?"

"Yes."

xoxo

The silence is deafening and the stares makes her feel as though she would be bruttaly murdered any second. Her hands shake as she grip her pack - Quinn asked her to cook - and her breathing is labored as she takes in her surrounding. She wants to run, hide back in her shadows, become invisible again, but the pale hands one each of hers makes it impossible. She's sandwiched between the two queens of McKinley, she has no chance to be invisible like this.

Quinn gives her an assuring squeeze and she turns her attention to her left. The smile Quinn gives her makes her temporarily forget her panic as butterflies flutter in her stomach.

To her right, Brittany grins widely. They could hear the hushed whispers of 'who is that', 'what's she doing with them', and the like.

To be honest, Quinn wants to run too. The stares are intense, and she can't decipher what they mean. It unnerves her, and she wants to let go of Santana's hands and just run. Brittany seems to sense this as she shoots a warning in her direction. Right. Santana's having it worse. She couldn't run.

Gathering every ounce of courage she has, she takes the first step inside the cafeteria. Puck and Sam shoot her looks she can't understand as she passes the football table. She ignores them as she leads the two to their usual seat.

"Everyone's staring," Santana mutters as she sits down next to Quinn.

"Let them," Quinn says as she takes a fork from Santana's pack. The dish today is some form of chicken with rice and all sorts of spices. Also, much to Quinn's delight, Santana topped the rice with small pieces of bacon.

Brittany is the first to try and she moans at the taste. "This is amazing, San!"

"Thanks," the Latina answers bashfully.

Quinn takes a bite of her own and can't deny that the brunette is a damn good cook. "Yep, really trying to-" She's interrupted by the appearance of two burly boys. "What do you want?"

"The Puckazilla's just wondering if you're taking this fine piece of ass to my party this Saturday," Puck says, leering at the brunette.

Quinn ignores the angry flutter in her stomach at the sight. "Back off, Puck."

"It's still on, right?" Sam asks, widening his eyes as if to say something. Quinn doesn't understand what, but she nods. This makes Sam grin and drag Puck away.

"That was eventful," Santana breathes out once the boys leave.

"Ignore them," Quinn mutters.

Brittany watches the exchange cautiously. "So, S. Are you coming to Puck's party with us?"

Santana ponders it for a moment. "I've never been to a party before."

Blue eyes widen. "What? Then you should really come!"

"B, don't pressure her."

"No, it's fine. I'll go."

Quinn shoots her a worried glance. "You sure?"

"Yeah. What's the worse that could happen?"

xoxo

Quinn wakes up from her sleep in a daze. She faintly hears something clicking in the background and ignores it as she tries to wrap her head around why she's awake. A quick glance to her clock tells her it's almost midnight. So, why is she awake?"

Another click resounds around her room. She turns her head to the direction of the noise and sees a pebble hit her window. What?

She forces herself up from her bed and opens the window just in time as a pebble flies past her. Thankfully, it didn't hit anything and safely landed on her carpet. She peers outside and sees a familiar head of brown standing in her front lawn, looking apologetic. Santana holds out a whiteboard, and points a flashlight to it so Quinn can read the words.

_'Come down.'_

She mouths a 'Why?'

Santana's only answer is to point at the whiteboard again. Quinn sighs, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. Instead, she closes the window, throws on a jacket, grabs the pebble, and runs down as quietly as she can. She opens the front door to a beaming Santana.

"It's late. What are you doing here?" she whispers.

Santana grins and bubbles with energy. "Come on. We're gonna miss it."

"Miss what?"

Santana grabs her hand, for the first time since it all started. "Just... Trust me, okay?"

Quinn doesn't know what made her do it, but she bites her lip, nods, and lets Santana drag her to her bike. It's a black and red BMX. Next to it is a white and red one. Santana lets go of Quinn's hand and hops onto the black and red bike. She nods over to the other one.

"Thought you might appreciate the color scheme," she teases.

Quinn rolls her eyes but hops on the bike. She takes the red helmet Santana hands her. "Where are we going?"

Santana cocks her head to the side. "Follow me and find out."

xoxo

They find themselves in the same field where they rode the hot air balloon. But, this time, instead of colorful balloons in the sky, there are more than a hundred people on the ground, each holding paper lanterns of all sizes. They come to a stop just in time as the countdown comes to a close and the paper lanterns are lit. The light float slowly, beautifully, up into the dark starry night. Quinn watches, mesmerized, at how the lanterns make it seem as if the stars are just in arm's reach.

Santana appears next to the gobsmacked blonde with a paper lantern of her own. Quinn turns to look at her incredulously. Hazel eyes light up in excitement as the Latina hands her a lighter and holds the lantern ready. With a happy smile, she flicks the lighter on and ignites the wick inside the lantern. Santana lets it go and it makes its way to the sky.

Quinn could feel that tugging in her stomach again as she looks at Santana. Amongst the light of a hundred lanterns, she couldn't deny that she is...

"Beautiful," she breathes out.

Santana turns her attention back to her with a smile. "It is, isn't it?"

No, Quinn wasn't talking about the lanterns. But she nods, afraid of what she's feeling.

"_And at last I see the light_," Santana whispers, her smile wide. "_And it's like the sky is new_."

Quinn knows the song. Brittany made her watch it with her so many times before. "_And it's warm and real and bright,_" she sings along in a whisper. They are isolated from the crowd, and it feels as though the slightest of noises would pop their little bubble. So she sings softly, afraid to destroy the moment and give way to her fears, "_And the world has somehow shifted._"

Santana seems ecstatic that Quinn is singing with her as she looks up to their lantern and finishes the verse, "_All at once everything looks different._" She turns her gaze back to hazel eyes and grins, "_Now that I see you_."

Quinn finds herself out of breath again. "You've got a good voice," she whispers, glad that her voice didn't waver.

The glint of playfulness in brown eyes makes Quinn's heart skip a beat. "You're not so bad yourself."

Quinn swallows. Every nerve in her body is telling her to run. This is wrong. This isn't right. But she can't move. Not when there's those eyes keeping her on the ground, but at the same time lifting her up to the stars.

xoxo

She's fucked. She is so fucked.

Three days. Three days with the girl and she's questioning her sexuality. She's Quinn Fabray. She's the head cheerleader, perfect Christian girl. She is not gay.

She really isn't.

So why does Santana Lopez have to complicate every single thing?

"Hey." Speak of the devil.

Quinn turns around and smiles as best as she can. "Hi, Santana."

The Latina cocks her head the side. "Why are you here?" Here being the bleachers where Quinn has been moping for the last half an hour.

"Just doing some thinking," Quinn answers.

Santana seems to accept it as she sits down next to the girl. They stay in the comfortable silence for a while before the brunette breaks it.

"My mother had cancer when I met Brittany."

Quinn turns her head to the side so quickly she's glad she didn't get a whiplash. "What?"

"I figured someday had to come eventually."

Oh. Quinn nods. She has been preparing for this someday but she didn't think it would come so soon.

"My mother died when I was five." Quinn opens her mouth to say sorry but Santana holds up a hand. "Don't. Just don't. Let me finish first." When the blonde nods, she continues, "My family was devastated. Even at a young age, I knew what was happening. It was hard, but after a while, things got better. It didn't stay better, though." Santana sniffles but she swallows and continues. "Javier, my little brother, was two years younger than me. When I was nine, we were playing in my _abuela's _farm. His ball rolled out into the road. He walked out to retrieve it. I was too busy playing on my own to stop him." She bites her lip to try and keep her tears at bay. "He got hit by a car. The driver ran away and left us with his limp body."

Quinn feels her throat drying. Santana shouldn't have had to deal with things like that at a young age. Nobody should.

"I think something snapped with my papa at that. Javier was his _unico hijo_," Santana states. "Two years later, I thought things were better again. My papa took me and my older sister to this country fair. I was so happy with Gabriella. My papa separated from us, but it was okay cause he was old enough to be on his own, and I had Gabriella." Her voice shakes at the name of her sister. "Then we heard a scream. A crowd had gathered around the ferris wheel. We looked up to see papa up there. He was going to jump. I tried- I kept calling out to him. Don't. Don't jump. Gabriella was shouting too. Everyone probably was. But it was too late." Her eyes close and a few tears escape. "He was falling so quickly."

Quinn is sobbing. She couldn't stop it. Santana's family. Everyone...

"Gabriella was my only light. She was the only one there for me," Santana tries to smile, but it comes off as a grimace. "I suppose you know what happened with that."

Quinn nods. "The gang..."

By this time, Santana is shaking with the force of her sobs. It's instinctual as Quinn wraps her arms around the girl. "They took her away from me. They took the only one I had left."

Quinn holds on tighter. "You have me."

Santana only cries harder.

xoxo

"Stop it."

Puck's party is today and Quinn is busy preparing. She was fixing her hair when the doorbell rang. Confused, she ran down only to see a brunette girl with blue highlights.

"Stop it," she repeats.

Quinn, for her part, is utterly confused. "Who are you?"

The short girl looks absolutely livid. "Whatever you're doing to Santana, stop it."

"What?"

"She's been hurt so much already. So, just please, stop it."

Quinn scoffs. "I'm not going to hurt her."

The girl's scoff could rival Quinn's. "You're Quinn Fabray. You do nothing but hurt people." The blonde couldn't deny that the girl's words stung. But the brunette isn't done. "Santana is different. She's happy. You make her happy." She shoots a glare in Quinn's direction. "And that means you have the power to utterly destroy her."

"I wouldn't do that," the sincerity in Quinn's voice is evident.

"I'm just warning you," the girl says. "I don't want to see my best friend regress back to being miserable. It's taken her so much to even talk to people. I won't have all her progress destroyed by the likes of you." With that, she turns on her heel, leaving Quinn utterly speechless.

xoxo

"Holy shit."

Quinn pulls up to the address Santana gave her. She expected a nice house or something, but what she sees is a mansion. A huge modern mansion. She doesn't even know what to think as she gets out of her car and walks up to the metal gate.

"You're here," a familiar voice rings out.

Quinn's eyes harden. "Yeah. Is Santana in?"

"Of course she is," the short brunette answers. Just as she says it, Santana walks out of the house and to the gate.

Quinn is absolutely floored. Santana's is wearing a low cut black dress and red pumps. Quinn had settled for a v-cut blouse, cardigan, and a denim mini-skirt.

"Wow," the blonde breathes out as Santana reaches the two of them.

Brown eyes rake over Quinn's clothes before they turn to the brunette with blue highlights. "What are you doing out here, Rach?"

Rachel shakes her head. "Nothing. Just needed some air," she answers as she pushes past Santana into Santana's home. She flashes a glare in Quinn's direction before disappearing.

"She doesn't like me," Quinn states.

"Rachel is just protective," Santana answers. "You look gorgeous."

The blonde blushes. "Thanks. You look good, too."

Santana faux-gasps. "Good? I look hot."

Quinn chuckles as she heads toward her car. "And so modest."

xoxo

Puck's party is packed. Quinn holds on to Santana's hand tightly, afraid of losing her in the crowd. She pushes past the swarm of sweaty bodies until they reach a couch, where she proceeds to plop down. Santana mimics her with a relieved look on her face.

"I think I just became claustrophobic," she mutters.

Quinn laughs. "Don't worry. Even I am a little bit."

"This is kind of overwhelming. It's like half of McKinley is here," Santana says in awe her eyes scan the crowd.

"Kind of," Quinn stand. "I'm gonna get us some safe drinks. Don't move and don't accept any drinks anybody gives you."

Santana nods and Quinn makes her way to Puck's kitchen.

She had just poured an orange liquid into the second solo cup, when Brittany comes rushing in. "Santana," is all she says, and Quinn drops the cups to follow her outside. A circle formed around Puck's living room. Quinn pushes past the bodies and sees that Santana is smack dab in the middle of the circle looking like she'd rather be in hell than there. She steps forward to get the brunette out, but Sam's strong arm stops her. That's when she notices that a circle of football players, each holding a slushie cup emitting a rancid smell, surrounded Santana.

It happened in slow motion.

Sam is first to pullhis hand back. His peers soon follows. Quinn realizes everything when she sees the blackish red liquid fly towards the brunette. Maybe it's slow motiong for Santana too as she closes her eyes and braces for impacts.

The first laugh echoes around the room the same time the first drop of blood falls on the floor.

Quinn couldn't explain what she's feeling. Regret, fear, horror, sadness, pity... and then, there's this part of her feeling relief.

Laughter rings out from everyone. Everyone except Brittany, Quinn, and Santana. The latter moves a hand to her face and wipes the blood from her eyes. She blinks, and searches around blindly. Her eyes finally rest on Quinn.

The fury in those brown eyes makes Quinn want to run. But she doesn't. She stays rooted in place as the Latina storms toward her. Bloody hands shove her roughly. She falls back to the crowd.

"I get it," Santana shouts. "This is what you want, right?" Quinn shakes her head futilely, but Santana is too far gone. "You want me gone, I'm gone! You'll never see me again. That's it, right?" She turns and walks towards the door. The crowd parts for her, still laughing. Just as her hand reach the doorknob, she turns and stares straight into hazel eyes.

"I can't believe I trusted you."

xoxo

_AN: What do you think?_


	6. Chapter 5

**Present Day**

Seeking out Santana Lopez is impossible if she does not want to be found. Quinn has searched everywhere - the library, the classrooms, the bleachers, the auditorium, the parking lot, everywhere. She's just not there.

After crying for what seemed like hours, Quinn decided she would try to reignite her friendship with Santana. She would beg and plead for the girl to forgive her. The plan seems good, but she just could not find the girl.

Another thing plaguing Quinn's mind is the red head that was latched on to Santana's hip the last time she saw her. Then there is that note.

A lightbulb appeared in Quinn's brain.

Of course, she wouldn't find Santana. But she could find the girl's best friend. She makes her way to the back of the school where the goths have made a little circle for whatever spell they're trying out this time. Quinn saw it earlier but ran hastily away when she caught the short brunette glaring at her. Now, she's actively seeking that girl out. She would know where Santana is.

She steps toward the circle where some strange red light is glowing from the circle. She's too afraid to even ask.

A dark haired boy with an unusual love for eyeliner looks up when she approaches them. True fear seems to latch at every nerve of his body as he sees the blonde.

Rachel turns to the boy questioningly. "What is it, Felix? You look like you've seen a-" Her words are stopped short when she sees Quinn a few feet away from her. Her brown eyes turn hard and cold as her lips curl down in a snarl. She's up on her feet before Quinn could open her mouth. "You. I didn't have a chance to give you a piece of my mind the last few times we've unfortunately crossed paths. But now, you have willingly come to my side of the school. You must truly have a death wish."

Quinn actually flinches when Rachel gets near. The rage in those eyes remind her too much of that day a month ago. She clears her throat and says steadily, "I need to see her."

Rachel's eyes go wide as if Quinn had just told her to burn every piece in her gothica collection. "Excuse me?"

"I need to see her," Quinn repeats with emphasis on every word.

The brunette crosses her arms. "And you think I'll let you? You're delusional, Quinn Fabray."

"Maybe I'm just desparate."

"Well, fuck you," Rachel snarls. "Fuck you if you think I'll ever let you near her again."

"Rachel, you don't understand," Quinn tries to reason, but Rachel gives her a good shove.

"No. Enough. You promised. You promised me that you wouldn't hurt her," Rachel scoffs. "I can't believe I trusted you."

Quinn visibly flinches at Rachel's words. "I didn't do it."

"Sure, you didn't," Rachel mutters as she turns her back to the girl. "Go away, Quinn. Leave Santana alone. Don't destroy her anymore than you've already done."

Quinn bites back the tears that threaten to leak out. She's done crying. "Did Kayleigh receive this kind of threat from you too?"

"No," Rachel answers as she turns back to face Quinn. "Because Kayleigh is in love with Santana."

The bile in Quinn's throat makes it hard for her to ask, "And Santana?"

Rachel doesn't answer. Instead, she walks past Quinn towards the school building.

Rachel's silence is good enough.

xoxo

Quinn walks around the halls aimlessly. Her classes today are useless as she's already studied the whole syllabus in advance. She could ditch class and still get a 4.0 GPA.

She spots a familiar blob of blonde hair at the end of the hallway talking to someone. She runs towards her, calling out her name. Brittany turns to look at her and smiles.

Quinn looks around once she's reached Brittany for whoever the blonde was talking to. She couldn't see anyone so she decides to ask her friend.

"Oh, just Santana," she answers as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Hazel eyes light up with hope as she looks around again. Her shoulders slump in realization. "She's already gone."

"Yeah. Did you want to talk to her?"

Quinn nods and hopes Brittany will help her.

"I can't let you talk to her til you get your feelings straight."

The shorter blonde drops her head. "I know, I know. But I'm just so confused."

Brittany grins and makes Quinn look up at her. "Quinn. You're, you know, clever. Don't let yourself be confused for long."

This makes Quinn chuckles lightly as she brings her friend close for a hug. "You're clever, too, Britts. Whoever says otherwise is an idiot."

xoxo

Quinn finds herself sitting at the bleachers again, blindly staring at the track team practicing. She knows that she needs to sort her feelings out. She knows that she needs to fix this. She's put off taking responsibility for her mistakes for far too long now.

"Do you have a minute?"

Anger bubbles up insude the blonde at the voice she hears. She's only heard it a couple of times before, but she's associated it with that haunting image from the rest room. It mames her want to puke, or to hit something. "Not for you," she snarks, unable to stop herself.

The redhead rolls her eyes but sits down a considerable distance from Quinn. "So," she coughs awkwardly. "Word on the grape vine is that you're searching for Santana."

"Leave me alone," Quinn growls.

Kayleigh clicks her tongue but stands up. "You know, when Santana described you to me, it wasn't this self-pityful mess. It's pathetic." Her words are laced with nothing but disgust, and it snaps Quinn's weak resolve.

She jumps up and gives the girl a good shove. "You're pathetic," the blonde spits out. "You don't even know her, and you're telling me to back off?"

To Quinn's irritation, Kayleigh smiles then laughs. "And, what, you do? You don't know half of who Santana Lopez is." She retaliates with her own shove that causes Quinn to land on her butt on the hard cement floor. "_I_ know her. I was there for her when you fucked everything up. God, I was there for her even before you came into the equation." Quinn just glares at her but does nothing to stand up. "And news fucking flash, you tosser. If it weren't for me, Santana would have never even given you that first sodding letter."

Hazel eyes widen at the girl's admission. "What?"

"I was the one who dared her to put a love letter in Quinn Fabray's locker," Kayleigh states. "Worst damn mistake of my life."

Kayleigh turns her back before Quinn could reply. She storms off, leaving in her wake a speechless blonde.

A beat passes with Quinn still frozen in her spot, and Kayleigh comes storming back. The redhead grabs Quinn by her Cheerio uniform and pulls her up. "I already gave you your chance, Nicole. It's my turn now." She lets go and dusts Quinn off. "Alex and Santana deserve more than you."

xoxo

_AN: We are back to short chapters people. Next chapter should be a Nalex flashback, plus what happens after Puck's party (which I forgot to include in the last chapter.)_

_I actually have the whole thing outlined, and if things go according to plan, this story ends in chapter twenty. But, I am welcome to suggestions and things you wish to see, so leave a review and tell me what you think._

_To boringsiot, thank you for your massive review. It really made my day! Santana doesn't say much about the thing with Gabriella, because I think it's too much for her. Speaking aloud the other deaths were hard for her, but Gabriella's was impossible. So she keeps it vague. I hope that clears things up. To all my reviewers, I hope you can feel the love. We've passed 50 and it's amazing. Thank you so much._


	7. Chapter 6

_AN: This chapter has three different timelines: twenty years ago, two months ago, and present times. I'll put headlines so I hope no one gets confused. They were too short to stand on their own so they'll be compiled here._

xoxo

**Twenty years ago**

_Their meetings were always kept short and straight to the point - due to both the shyness engulfing them, and the tightness of their schedules. But Nicole knew that something was quickly changing. Shy glances and soft smiles exchanged in the hallways turned to greetings and short conversations. She was on a high. Alex was everything she imagined her to be, yet always with something unexpected._

_Her addiction was getting worse and she long passed the point of no return._

_The four thirty ritual remained intact and they two of them grew closer every time. Nicole was learning more than she ever thought she would. She learned that it was Alex's father who taught her how to play the violin. She learned that Alex is squeamish about blood, and her mother always teased her by asking her to come by the hospital when she was performing an operation. She learned that it was Alex's dream to study at New York. She learned that Alex looked forward to the smiles and glances they exchanged on the hallways._

_Nicole was falling, and falling quickly._

_A week after she mustered up the courage to say hi to the brunette, she decided that she would ask her out on a date. What she didn't expect was for it to be Alex to ask the question playing on her tongue since she first saw her._

_"What?" she blinked dubiously. "Do you- Are you serious?"_

_Alex's grin was infectious. "Yes." She tips her head to the side. "Were you abou to ask the same question?"_

_It still hadn't sunk in fully to her as she nods slowly. Alex Nichols asked her out. "Oh my God."_

_"Sinking in?" the brunette teases. "Yes? Is that a yes?"_

_Nicole bit her lip and nodded, this time grinning like a fool. It didn't matter. They were fools together._

xoxo

_It had been three months since they started dating and a month since Alex became Nicole's girlfriend. She was so fucking ecstatic. She was living on a high. She was happy. She was in love. Things were perfect._

_The student body discerned them as friends a week after the shy glances turned into hugs in the middle of the hallway. No one suspected anything more, and Nicole could live well with that. Despite everything, she was still scared of what would happen if her parents found out._

_But, when Alex Nichols was straddling you and kissing your neck, you weren't expected to thinkof anything else. So Nicole just let go of her troubles, and focused on this girl showing her heaven on earth._

_"Ahh... Shit... Fuck, I love you."_

_The blonde froze and her eyes snapped open. Did she really just say that out loud? It was too quick. It was too early. Shit, she probably scared Alex away. "I'm sorry- I-"_

_Alex surprised her again when the brunette silenced her with a kiss. It was soft and gentle, yet at the same time, firey and wild with passion. They broke apart, and Alex rested her forehead on Nicole's with a lazy smile. "I love you too."_

_Nicole stood by her first impression. Alex Nichols really was perfection personified._

xoxo

**Two months ago**

Quinn runs out of the crowded house in a frenzy. Her tears are flowing endlessly. Her mind keeps replaying the words Santana spat at her, and the vice grip on her heart tightens. It makes her want to puke, to just vomit all the bile and hurt she's feeling.

But she knows she fucked up. And Santana is breaking.

She finds the Latina quickly, following the driplets of blood on the ground. Santana is walking down the street, her head hanging low and shoulder shaking. It reminds Quinn of Carrie, minus the explosions and deaths. But maybe she would have preferred that. She would have preferred that over the dead look in Santana's eyes when she reached her. She would have preferred the anger and hate, over this.

"Santana," she begins, her voice cracking.

Brown eyes stare blankly back at her. "What do you want, Quinn?" She wipes the blood trailing over her left eye.

_This isn't how it's supposed to go. This isn't what I want. _Quinn swallows and braces herself. "You left this." She thrusts the blue box to Santana's bloody hand.

The brunette opens it slowly. "I hate it," she says, eyes trailing over the tear drop shaped necklace.

Quinn frowns. "But you said you- I saw you look at it at the store. I was going to give it to you before the party but-"

"I hate it," Santana repeats, this time, her eyes on the blonde. "I hate that I fell in love with you."

In the quiet of the night, Quinn could hear her heart breaking.

Santana bites her lip as a tear escapes. "I hate that I fell in love with your smile. I hate that I fell in love with your voice. I hate that I fell in love with your eyes. But what I hate most of all, is that I knew this would happen from the start. I hate that I overheard you on the phone planning just this, but I let myself believe that in some twisted way, you would feel differently about me."

Quinn wants to cry. She wants to say she's sorry. She wants to say that she loves her too, but she keeps her mouth shut and her face a mask. She doesn't know why, but she does.

"But you are fucked up," Santana states, her eyes betraying the anger of her words. "I should have known better. God, I should have known better." She holds out the box. "Here."

Quinn shakes her head. "Keep it. Remember me, you know."

"Ah, of course," Santana laughs sardonically. "This is goodbye, yeah?"

Quinn nods, her icy facade never once breaking. "You'll disappear."

"Forget I even exist. Your wish is my command, my lady." Santana bows low, blood dripping on the sidewalk. She looks up at the blonde, a spark in her eyes. "This is what you want." It isn't a question.

Quinn knows it, and she nods. "I want you to disappear." Quinn feels it - the bile rushing up her throat at the words. But she pushes it down.

Santana's eyes cloud with tears, but she straightens up and smiles. "Would you mind turning your back and going back to your friends? I'm kind of leaving a bloody track here and can't very well disappear." She bites back the sob when the blonde turns her back. "Goodbye, Quinn Fabray. I hope you're happy with your choice."

Quinn isn't, but she says nothing as she walks away. Her mask is still in place as she re enters the shindig.

xoxo

**Present Day**

"Quinny, please. Wipe that scowl from your face," Judy Fabray cries to her daughter sitting in the back seat. Russell grunts disapprovingly, but focuses on the road.

Quinn crosses her arms over her chest and scowls even more. It's Friday and she could not believe her parents managed to force her to attend the Withers' event. She couldn't care less.

She's still lost in thought about Kayleigh's words. Kayleigh knows. Kayleigh knows. "Who are you?" she whispers to herself.

"What did you say, dear?" Judy asks. Quinn mutters a nothing.

They arrive at the destination along with another car. Once they parked in front of the huge house, Quinn finds out that the owner of the car is someone else from her father's work. The house reminds her of Santana's and she internally cringes.

The party is exactly what she expected. Business suits and fake smiles everywhere. Everyone here is just trying to suck up to their boss. She wants out and turns to make a run for it, but Judy's firm hold on her arm stops her. She gets pulled towards a tall man in an elegant suit with dark red hair and a warm smile.

"Good evening, Arthur," Russell greets the man and holds his hand out. They shake hands and exchange smiles. Russell then turns and gestures toward the two blondes. "This is my wife, Judy, and my youngest daughter, Quinn."

"You have a wonderful home," Judy curtsies.

Arthur beams. "Why, thank you." He then turns to Quinn. "Young lady, you look so much like your mother. My daughter is actually your age." He rubs his chin in thought. "I think she attends the same high school as you. Ah, there she is. Kayleigh!"

Quinn's eyes widen and her blood runs cold. _Be a different Kayleigh. Be a different Kayleigh._

"Yes, Dad? Oh, hello, Quinn."

Hazel eyes snap to the smirking red head. _Fuck_.

xoxo

_AN: I apologize for the short chapters, but I seem to work better with them. If I go for long ones, I get too stuck with what I want to write. If that makes sense._

_So! Who saw that one coming? I bet you all forgor about that itty bitty piece of info, yeah?_

_Also, to the reviewer who mentioned Santana and Rachel living together - well, they are. I mean, if I was Santana's best friend, I wouldn't let her live in that huge house all alone, especially after everything._

_To boringsiot, whose review has amused me endlessly, she is a ninja. Nah, just joking. It's her secret. Maybe, you're right. Maybe she is magical. ;)_


	8. Chapter 7

**Present Day**

"Mr. Calhone is killing us with these research papers. I honestly do not know if I can stand any more," Quinn says, sickly sweet smile placed perfectly on her lips. Her hazel eyes travel over the group of people around the table until she meets fiery grey ones.

"I'll toast to that," Kayleigh raises her glass of champagne, similar sickly sweet smile playing on her face. The table erupts in laughter and the two join in, eyes not leaving each other.

"So, Quinn," Arthur breaks the two of them from their stare down. "I hear you're captain of the cheerleading team." Quinn nods and Russell looks geniunely proud. "I've tried countless times to persuade my Kayleigh here to try out, but she just wouldn't budge."

Kayleigh grins. "I know the terror that is Sue Sylvester and I will not willingly put myself under her control." They all laugh at this. With a knowing smirk, the red head adds, "Besides, golf is more of my thing." She turns to Quinn, and asks with a mocking grin, "How about you, Quinn? You play golf?"

The blonde turns her gaze to the brunette. "I may just start now."

Arthur seems absolutely thrilled by this. "Wonderful then. You two could bond over golf. Perhaps we can schedule a time to play golf some time soon, eh, Russ?"

Russell nods, firm smile in place. "We would love that."

"Lovely. This evening has been amazing. The company is even better," Arthur compliments, earning him smiles and chuckles. He stands up. "Thank you for coming to my home and celebrating the birthday of my beloved daughter with me. To my darling Kayleigh, who has just turned the legal age of eighteen." He raises his glass in a toast and everyone follows suit.

Once the dinner is over, the pleasantries and more sucking up begins.

Quinn turns toward her parents but Kayleigh stops her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Can I speak to you for a moment, Quinn?" She turns to Russell. "If that is alright with you, sir?"

Russell seems hesitant at first. Arthur appears next to him, though, and says, "Let the children talk, Russell. I have something to discuss to you as well." Russell nods and motions for Quinn to go.

The two men leave, and Judy joins the other wives. Quinn turns back to Kayleigh, who drop her hold on the blonde.

Sickly sweet smiles are still in place, but the masks around their eyes are dropped. "Kayleigh Withers."

Kayleigh smirks. "Took you by surprise, yeah?"

"That's an understatement. Your father seems nice so obviously you didn't inherit your black personality from him," Quinn snaps.

"You obviously got yours from your father though," Kayleigh bites back. "Quite the chap, Russel Fabray is. Just the charmer, but deep down inside, has a black hole for a heart - sucking away all the light from people they know, yeah?"

The blonde grits her teeth. She has nothing to top that. Russell really is all the girl mentioned. But, Quinn knows, the nasty remark isn't just meant for her father. Kayleigh wants a confrontation, but Quinn won't take her challenge. Not here, in the living room of the red head where twenty-ish more people are present. She has to keep up appearances, and that included not strangling the birthday celebrant. "I want to talk to you," she says, her voice low.

"We are talking," Kayleigh snarks.

Quinn fights off every urge to hit the girl. "In private."

The red head grins teasingly but leads the way to a private back terrace. The conversations from inside the house are muffled as the two step out into the cold evening air.

Quinn cuts to the chase and asks the question playing on her mind since their last confrontation, "How do you know Nicole and Alex?"

"How much of Nicole's memories have you gotten back?" Kayleigh asks back.

"Enough."

"If it was, you wouldn't even be asking me that question."

Quinn stares hard at the red head, trying to figure out who she is. Kayleigh just smiles innocently, her fingers drumming on the parapet.

"Who are you?" Quinn asks.

"I'm Kayleigh Withers," the red head jibes. When she sees the cold glare Quinn gives her, she chuckles before answering, "An old friend."

Quinn's glare turns colder at the vague answer. "Who?" she growls out.

"You really need to work on your patience. You'll find out soon enough," Kayleigh says as she takes a once-over of the blonde. "You should also try to control that temper. Did you get that from daddy as well?"

"Fuck off."

Kayleigh grins. "What exactly were you planning on achieving from this talk?"

"I want answers," Quinn replies.

"And you think, what, I'll just give them to you?"

"You obviously know a lot. I can be very persuasive with getting what I want."

"Ah, the Fabray charm. Is that how you got Sam Evans to work for you? With your _persuasions_?" Kayleigh's words carry venom, but her lips stay in a sweet smile. Quinn looks ready to lunge but Kayleigh waves her hands in dismissal. "Please, don't hurt yourself. We know who will win if you try to fight me. If you want answers, they will come to you. Eventually."

"I think I've made it clear that I'm not a very patient person."

"You will have to learn to be if you want to even try and win Santana back."

Quinn reels back in shock. "Is that really something you should say to me considering Santana is your girlfriend?"

Kayleigh's grin grows. "Ah, no denial of you wanting to win her over. You're starting to grow, Fabray. Now, to answer your question, not really. But I guess I have faith in Santana."

"She doesn't love you."

"We'll see."

The two fall into a tense silence, both staring at each other, waiting for one to slip. It's Quinn that breaks.

"It was all a dare?"

Kayleigh smiles, sincerely this time. "It started as, only because I knew Santana was getting interested in you. I kind of gave her the push, you know. Then you fucked it up," she lowers her eyes. "I will never forgive you for that. I hurt myself by trying to make the woman I love happy, and giving her to you. But you broke her, and threw her in the trash for me to pick up and try to piece back together. It's hard, but I'm getting there." She raises her head to stare straight into hazel pools. "And now you're back."

"I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, grow a pair, Quinn, and admit it," Kayleigh snaps. Quinn could see pure hatred in grey eyes. "I'm not going to act as some moral compass for you. Frankly, I don't give a damn about you. But you mean something to Santana. After everything, you still do."

"Now, I'm really sure that isn't something you should be saying to me."

"Don't mistake me, Quinn. I am not saying this to you to encourage you to try and win back my girl. I'm simply stating facts. They say the first cut is the deepest. You may not be the first cut, but you were the knife that twisted around her wounds. So you're not so easy to get over." Kayleigh scoffs. "I love her. I'm not going to give her up this time. But, if she wants to forgive you and try a _friendship_ with you, I won't hold her back. That is, _if_ she wants to."

Quinn steps back as Kayleigh takes a forceful step forward.

"But, if she says no, and you keep pushing, I will end you," Kayleigh growls out, her voice low and venomous. "And if she does give you another chance and you fuck it up again, you will wish you were never born. We clear on that?"

"I'm not scared of you."

Kayleigh steps back, her sweet smile back. "Oh, but darling, you should be."

xoxo

It's been three days since the red head's birthday party and everything she said kept playing on Quinn's mind. She needs to talk to someone, to get a clear grip on everything. She reaches for her phone on her table and sends a text to her best friend.

Brittany arrives in the Fabray household minutes later, where she finds Quinn crying in her bedroom. Her arms immediately wrap around her friend.

"What's wrong?"

"Kayleigh told me I don't deserve her."

Brittany brushes a strand of hair from Quinn's face. "You should never think that you don't deserve something you want."

Quinn gulps and clutches tighter at the taller blonde. "I want Santana."

"Oh, well. You actually don't deserve her."

Quinn reels back at her friend's words, her tears stopping short. "Britt?"

"What? You don't," Brittany states, staring at the girl. "It took a really long time and a lot of courage to admit to herself that she lost everything, and tell you about her family. You said you were there for her. Yeah, I eavesdropped, but I didn't mean to. I was following a trail of ants down the bleachers. Whatever. But, you can't lie to me, Quinn." She grabs Quinn's hand and holds it tightly in her own. Her voice is still stern as she continues, "I know that when you planned that pig's blood stunt, you didn't tell me on purpose. You know I would try to stop it. Then, you pushed it to the back of your mind, and led yourself to believe that you forgot about it. You did that so you won't blame yourself." She holds a finger to Quinn's lips when the girl starts to open it. "You wanted it to happen. A part of you wanted her to be humiliated and hate you, because you're scared that if she gets too close, your true feelings will show. Relief was written all over your face that night, and she saw it. I saw it. Everyone saw it. I love you, Quinn, but you really have nobody to blame but yourself."

Quinn is speechless. She knows Brittany is blunt and always speaks her mind, but to get her ass handed to her verbally... She never thought Brittany is capable of it. But the girl's words strike close to home. She's right. About everything. And Quinn knows she really has to fix it this time.

"I was scared," she says. "But I'm not scared anymore." In truth, her fear dissipated after she turned her back on Santana two months ago. She felt absolutely pain. Quinn isn't an idiot. and she knows she won't make Nicole's same mistakes. She won't. She's not scared anymore.

Brittany smiles at this. "I know."

"I don't deserve her yet, but I would really like to try."

"You're already starting to."

xoxo

_AN: This is mostly dialog, but I hope it's helping clear some stuff. Also, do any of you hate Kayleigh? Because I don't. I absolutely love her (Moment of narcissism). Introducing in next chapter is Kayleigh's past person. Who do you think it is? Hint, it's another OitNB character. No, it's not Piper. I don't like her._

_On a side not, how hot is Demi with blue hair?_

_To the guest reviewer who asked about Santana and Rach being legal, they are. In the time line of this fic, they're all eighteen, with Kayleigh being the youngest. I just realized I never mentionee this before._

_Shameless plug, hit me up on Twitter!_


	9. Chapter 8

_AN: Hellloooooo? Are there still people reading this? Yes? Well, onwards!_

xoxo

**Twenty years ago**

_Life was _perfect_._

_Nicole had the girl of her dreams. She had good enough grades for a decent university. Her times on the track were getting better. Really, she had it all. She was perfectly happy._

_But, she had to have known when the other shoe was going to drop._

_"I want to tell people."_

_The words made her blood run cold. Alex had just been running her fingers through Nicole's blonde locks while they watched some sappy movie running on cable that day. Nicole was playing with Alex's slender fingers when the brunette sprung that statement on her._

_"That you're gay?" she asked, despite knowing in her gut that that wasn't what Alex meant._

_The brunette ran a finger down Nicole's jaw. The blonde didn't know whether it was meant to be a way to comfort her, or if the other girl just liked to do it. But Nicole wasn't comforted. Far from it. Every nerve on her body was on edge, her mind playing all the possibilities that could happen in her parents found out. If people from school found out. She knows the horror she was feeling was evident on her face when Alex pulled back and studied her with a frown._

_"I want to tell people about us."_

_She knew it would be the next words coming out of her girlfriend's mouth. She anticipated it, but it did nothing to cool the fear gripping at her heart. She couldn't do it. Just imagining it was making her want to run away. Run away from all these feelings. Run and bottle it all up. Run and hide. She knew Alex could see every emotion she was experiencing when brown eyes turned cold._

_"Nicole," Alex called out, her voice lacking the softness it had mere minutes ago. "Why are you so scared?"_

_The blonde took a deep breath as she looked anywhere other than those pleading eyes. "I'm not like you. I'm not sure like you." It was the understatement of the year. Ever since she first saw Alex, things have been nothing short of confusing. She wasn't gay. She never felt an attraction towards girls other than the cheerleader. "Maybe I only like guys except for you."_

_She had her eyes turned from the brunette so she couldn't see her reaction, but she was pretty sure she could feel the anger radiating from her._

_"Great. Just fucking great," Alex growled. Nicole flinched, knowing full well that the cheerleader didn't curse unless she was absolutely livid._

_"I'm sorry." Nicole didn't know what else to say. What do you say to something like that?_

_The blonde felt Alex stand up. Her eyes immediately sought out the girl, not wanting her to walk away. It hit her like a cement truck that _she_ was the one that was walking away when she saw brown eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I love you," she whispered, because it was the only clear thing she could hang on to at the moment._

_"Then why won't you show it?" Alex's eyes were pleading. She was pleading for something Nicole knew she couldn't give._

_"I do. I show it to you, don't I?" In Nicole's eyes, that was enough. What was the need to announce it to the world when they had each other? She just couldn't understand it. Or maybe she just didn't want to understand it._

_Alex crossed her arms over her chest. "Mike Thompson asked me out for prom yesterday."_

_Undeniable rage sparked inside of Nicole at the statement. "What?"_

_"I didn't say yes," Alex didn't let her gaze waver. "I didn't say no, either."_

_"Why didn't you? Did you want to-"_

_"No! I don't want to go with him. But, if I had said no, he would have asked who I was going with since it's an obvious choice for me to go to the dance with the quarterback," Alex explained, her voice tired. "What was I supposed to say? I can't cause I'm secretly dating the captain of track who doesn't want to come out with me, so I probably won't be going to the dance?"_

_The blonde dropped her gaze at that, her jealousy deflating a bit. She could hear the hurt and exasperation in the brunette's voice. But she was so scared. She wanted to go to prom, holding Alex's hand, but she could already hear the whispers and the teasings, and it made her want to claw her eyes out. "What do you want me to do?" She didn't know any more._

_"Come with me to the dance." When Nicole didn't react, Alex added, "Or I can't do this anymore."_

_Nicole felt the lump that formed in her throat at the brunette's words. Her heart caught in a vice grip at the thought of losing Alex. But she couldn't say anything. She couldn't even look up. Her fear froze her, and she couldn't break free of its grip._

_Alex seemed to sense this, as her sigh was long and hurt. She bit her lip and tried not to cry, because she knew her next words would break both of their hearts._

_"Let's break up."_

_Hot tears were falling down Nicole's cheeks. She did nothing to try and stop them. In the silence of her room, with the movie playing dully in the background, she could hear her heart breaking. And she knew she didn't have a right to be angry at anyone other than herself, because it was her stupid fears that was driving Alex away. Yet, she couldn't do anything about them. She only nodded, and buried her head in her knees as she pulled them impossible closer to her. She heard the sobs that teared from Alex's chest and the whispered 'I love you' before the door was slammed behind her. She didn't look up. She couldn't bear to witness the only girl she loved, and will ever love, leave._

_She was so stupid, stupid, stupid. Such a fucking coward. She was an asshole. She couldn't even stand up for Alex._

_Nicole didn't move from her position until her mother came home and worriedly asked what was wrong. She couldn't answer through all the sobs raking through her body._

_She didn't even know what she would say if she could._

_What she did know, however, was that it would be some foolish lie about boys._

xoxo

_Nicole arrived in school the next day sporting a pair of dark aviators. She brushed off the concerned questions of her friends with a muttered 'I'm fine'. She wasn't. She was far from it. But she didn't want to explain to someone who could stab her in the back._

_The day was dull, without any color. Nicole was sure that the amount of crying she did somehow made her colorblinde, because all she could see was a dull grey everywhere. All she had was that, and the painful thumping of her heart against her chest._

_This was stupid. Yes, she got heartbroken. But, she was just eighteen for God's sake. she had the rest of her life to find the person that she could see herself growing old with. The thing was, she couldn't see herself with anyone other than the brunette that still held her heart, and that fact alone scared the shit out of her._

_She was sluggish around the track. She couldn't force her legs to take that one step forward. Her eyes wandered again and again to that spot in the field where she first saw her goddess. It felt as though a lance pierced her guts, and with every look at that place, she was twisting it around._

_Ashley told her she looked like shit, and made her take a warm shower in the locker room. She wouldn't be doing any running. Not that she could._

_She was lifeless, laying waste to the world. She couldn't care less. The fear still had its grip on her, chaining her down._

_The constant spray from the shower head above masked the tears falling from her eyes._

xoxo

_Nicole didn't see Alex again till two days later. She hadn't actually made an effort and sought out the girl, so she couldn't say that the brunette had been hiding._

_She saw her again, ironically, at the hallway where they first spoke to each other. The hallway that sparked everything between them._

_Nicole still had her glasses. Her eyes were still bloodshot and her face puffy. She couldn't stop crying, even if her mother was getting more and more worried. She just couldn't stop._

_Alex, on the other hand, looked better. Her eyes were slightly red, but it didn't look like she spent the entire night crying her eyes out. She actually looked normal, and happy. Nicole knew the small smile on Alex's face wasn't fake. But, she also knew it wasn't meant for her when it dropped once chocolate eyes found her._

_Alex paused in her tracks, staring intently at the blonde. Nicole had stopped too, but she strayed her eyes, not that the brunette would have seen under her glasses. Oh, who was she kidding? Of course Alex knew that she couldn't look at her._

_"You look like hell," Alex commented._

_Nicole closed her eyes, feeling the lance twist in her guts again at hearing the girl's voice. It was still as beautiful and angelic as she had remembered it. "So I've been told." Her voice, on the other hand, was raspy and hoarse._

_"Are you coming to prom?" the brunette asked, her tone casual, as though they didn't break up because of this topic._

_Nicole shook her head. "I don't have a date. You going with Mike?" She wanted to take back the question, fearing the answer Alex would give._

_"No," Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. "But I am going with someone."_

_"Who?" the blonde couldn't hide the hurt in her voice._

_"It doesn't matter. You don't know her." It mattered. It mattered everything for Nicole. And knowing that it was a 'her' made Nicole want to puke. Someone else took the love of her life. Someone else, who could give Alex what she wanted._

_"It matters to me," Nicole's voice broke. She couldn't handle the thought of Alex being with someone else. It could have been her. It was her. But she threw it all away. For what? For her insecurities._

_"I don't see why it would," Alex spat, her vpice laced with bitterness. "She's nice. And she wants to be with me. She may not make me as happy as you did, but she sure is trying."_

_"Do you even love her?"_

_Alex shrugged. "Maybe one day. She's sticking long enough to help me with the process."_

_Nicole felt every jibe that was meant for her. Fuck, she really messed things up. "Who is she?"_

_Alex didn't answer. Instead, she nudged her head over Nicole's shoulder. The blonde looked back, and saw a girl standing near the lockers. She had wavy blonde hair, thick glasses, and beautiful grey eyes. She had a book clutched tightly to her chest, eyes alternating between the two girls, not knowing if she should interfere. She was beautiful, and held an innocent and shy charm, but Nicole hated her already. The brunette motioned for her to come closer, and the girl walks to Alex's side, her head hung low. Alex wrapped an arm around the girl's waist and urged her to introduce herself._

_"I-I'm Tricia Miller," the girl said, stuttering over her words as she felt the cold glare sent her way from behind the dark glasses._

_The name didn't ring any bells in Nicole's mind. The girl was probably so far down the social hierarchy that Nicole couldn't even see her. She was nothing, but an almost invisible blip in Nicole's radar. But when the blonde turned her eyes to her ex-girlfriend, she saw a geniune smile in those brown eyes as she gazed down at the shy girl._

_Nicole was so stupid._

_She was so, so stupid._

xoxo

_AN: Quite possibly, the longest Nalex flashback. And I think I need to put a disclaimer for some of the quotes used in the first scene. I do not own Skins. So! Kayleigh is Trish. I've always loved her in OitNB. Sucks that she died._

_Next chapter is some Faberry interaction. Hint: They go visit the Vause family. Also, enter Dani!_

_More on Trish and Alex when we have Kayleigh's chapter. Hope you're looking forward to that. I am._


	10. Chapter 9

_AN: I am absolutely sorry for the delay. The internet is shit and I've been exhausted with trying to save my arse from not being enrolled in uni. I am living off of internet cafes, and that is not a good thing. I absolutely detest those places, but I have no choice. I love you all that much._

_Now that my rant is over, onwards!_

xoxo

**Present Day**

Quinn walks into McKinley the next day with a new prep in her step. In reality, before Brittany gave her a verbal slap to the face with the truth, a part of her had been thinking that Santana hating her is still okay. But now, now all she wants is to make up for everything.

And, you know, maybe get the girl in the end.

The halls are still mostly deserted. School doesn't start till an hour. It's surreal for Quinn. She's never been to McKinley this early before. It has the peacefulness that gets lost once about a hundred teenagers begin to crowd every inch of the place.

She smiles to herself, as she hunts down the locker of the person clouding her thoughts for the last month. Brittany revealed its location once Quinn recited her plan. The taller blonde seemed supportive of it, and Quinn knows Brittany would never lie to her.

She stops at the row of lockers next to the AV Club room. Of course Quinn never saw it before. She avoids the place like the plague.

She grins and pulls out a hair clip from her bag. She knew learning these things from Puck when they were dating would be useful. She slides the clip inside the padlock, and plays with it for a bit. She grins in victory once the tell tale sound of the lock clicking open could be heard. Her hands shake slightly as she pulls the lock from the locker door.

Santana's locker isn't what Quinn thought it would be. The locker is filled with books. Quinn is sure Santana managed to squeeze an entire library inside the small space. It is so crowded, yet at the same time all the books are placed in an organized manner. It's a mixture of classic books and modern best sellers. Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird, Divergent. Santana has it all stacked away in her locker. Quinn pulls out Santana's copy of Beyond the Shadows and examines it.

"You are such a nerd," she whispers as she reads the summary at the back. Santana mentioned once that one of her favorite books were the Night Angel Trilogy. Quinn has never heard of it, but once Santana mentioned it, she got her hands on an e-book copy and has been reading since. She couldn't say that the book is her style, it's darker than the stories she usually reads, but it is good and the plotline is immersing. She recently finished the second book and can't wait to read the last one. She figures this would be good.

She pulls out a pad of post-its from her backpack and writes on one. After she's done, she sticks it to Jane Eyre.

'_If you ever want to see Beyond the Shadows again, you'll meet me at the auditorium after class,'_ she signed it xRockstar with a wink. She knows Santana will understand without a doubt.

With a smile, she closes the locker and opens the book.

xoxo

It's Quinn's free period and she's lounging at a far corner of the library completely immersed in the book she stole from Santana's collection.

"I didn't peg you for a Brent Weeks kind of girl."

Quinn jumps and hides the book behind her as she turns around. Her panicked eyes calm when she spots a familiar brunette-slash-bluenette staring at her blankly. She gathers herself as she tries to compose a reply.

"That's Santana's," Rachel beats her to it, nodding to the book Quinn has behind her back.

"No," Quinn lies.

The short girl stares at her unblinkingly.

"It's not Santana's."

Rachel stares.

"The library had it and-"

Rachel stares.

"Alright," Quinn sighs, exasperated. "It's hers. Whatever."

"You stole it," Rachel deadpans.

The blonde clutches at her heart in faux-hurt. "I would never."

Rachel stares.

"Fine," Quinn frowns. "I did. But I plan to give it back."

Rachel arches a brow, urging Quinn to continue.

Quinn maintains eye contact, but not for long. "When she meets me at the auditorium," she sighs. "God, you must've put some sort of voodoo magic on me to make me go soft all of a sudden?"

This time, Rachel grins. "You've gone soft on your own, Fabray. Did the world end while I was asleep or did aliens take you to their mother ship and this you is just a clone?"

"Wow," Quinn says. "That's kind of harsh."

Rachel rolls her eyes as she sits down next to Quinn on the floor. "Something's different. I can feel it."

"Do you really want to have this conversation with a clone?" Quinn teases.

"Fuck off, Fabray," Rachel mutters, lightly shoving the girl.

The blonde chuckles before they come to a comfortable silence. "What are you doing here, Rachel?"

"I actually saw you at San's locker this morning," Rachel confesses. "I saw you here earlier and came to give you a piece of my mind… But I saw you reading that book, with all your walls down, and I had that feeling that something changed."

"And that something is?" Quinn prods.

"Do you love Santana?" Rachel asks.

The blonde is momentarily taken back. Does she love Santana? Romantically? She has never asked herself the question. She thinks back to their time together, how everything was full of color and vibrant, how everything seemed right. She thinks back to that time at the lanterns festival, how her heart hammered at the beauty that is Santana. She thinks back to buying the necklace that she now has on her neck, how she smiled unconsciously at the thought of making Santana happy with the gift.

"I don't know," she whispers honestly. "I have this feeling, but I don't know if it's love. I've never been in love before."

Rachel nods in understanding. "Santana said the same thing to me once, when I asked her about you."

Quinn feels herself smile. "Yeah?"

The brunette nods again. "Maybe you do love her." She turns to face Quinn. "Maybe not. But if you do love her, are you ready for that? Are you ready to admit to that feeling?"

Quinn stares back, searching for the answer. Is she ready? Would she be ready for that? She's not really sure, so she settles for, "I'm not scared anymore."

Rachel smiles at this. "That's good to know."

They fall into silence again as Quinn tries to think about everything. All the possibilities make her head spin.

"Don't overthink it," Rachel mutters. "Just feel. "

Quinn chuckles. "What happened to the girl that hated me?"

"I didn't hate you. I hated what you did, but I didn't hate you."

"Same thing."

"No, not the same thing," Rachel says with conviction. "What you did was stupid and fucked up, but you're not a bad person. You were just scared so you made some bad decisions, but seeing that you're trying to make up for them now shows that you're not a person to hate. What was it you people say? Hate the sin, not the sinner?"

Quinn nods, smiling despite herself. "Yeah. I think that's it."

"I bet you hated me."

Quinn laughs. "I kind of did." She hesitates, but asks after a while of contemplation, "Hey, Rachel. You're interested in supernatural stuff, right?"

The brunette eyes her awkwardly. "You could say that." She grins and adds, "You're not a vampire, are you?"

Quinn grimaces. "No," she almost shouts. "Do you believe in reincarnations?"

"It's possible. Why?"

"I think it might be happening to me."

The silence that stretches between them is deafening. It's only broken when Rachel stands up with a blank face. Quinn drags her back down to a sitting position.

"Where are you going?" Quinn asks.

"Away. Clearly, you have lost your mind."

"I have not! It's real. I thought you of all people would believe. Besides, Kayleigh is one too."

"Don't drag Kayleigh into this dementia of yours."

Quinn sighs. "Would you just listen to me?" Rachel crosses her arms over her chest but makes no move to leave. "Okay, thank you. I started having these dreams. I think they're memories of someone, more specifically, my past life. Her name is Nicole Vause. I googled her but nothing much came up. Her girlfriend, on the other hand, is a goddess." Rachel arches her eyebrow but says nothing. "Alex Nichols is this superstar in their high school."

Rachel nods once the girl finishes speaking. "Now, I'm fairly certain you're crazy."

"I'm not!"

"Okay, let's say I believe you. This Alex girl, she's Santana's past life?" Quinn nods. "And how does Kayleigh fit into all this?"

This time, Quinn bites her lips in hesitation. "She was Tricia Miller, Alex's girlfriend when Nicole fucked up."

Rachel laughs. "Well, that's definitely accurate. Continue."

"I can't. That's how far my dreams go."

"Do Santana and Kayleigh know of this?"

"Santana, no. Kayleigh, yes."

Rachel laughs again. This is all so ridiculous in her eyes. "So, let's say, I come up to Kayleigh and ask her if her past life's name is Tricia Miller, she'll say yes?"

xoxo

"Yes."

Rachel's jaw drops open as the red head casually continues to hammer down her creation.

The two had come to find the red head when Quinn nodded with certainty. They found the girl in woodwork class, and barged in without anyone paying much attention to their interruption. Some heads did turn when they saw the blonde walk by with a goth. A glare and snarl sent their attentions back to their creations.

"What?" Rachel and Quinn both ask. Quinn hadn't been expecting for Kayleigh to answer positively.

"I'm Tricia Miller, the girlfriend of her past self's girlfriend turned ex-girlfriend turned girlfriend," Kayleigh answers, her eyes unwavering from the hammer she's pounding diligently. The roof of her birdhouse is almost done.

Rachel turns to Quinn and points a finger to her chest accusingly. "You set her up on this, didn't you?"

Quinn holds up her hands in defense. "I didn't."

The pounding finally stops and the red head looks to her visitors. "I'm telling the truth, Rachel. We both are."

"B-But-"

"Rach, I know it's a lot to take in, but it's real."

Rachel stares at grey eyes hard, and upon finding them unwavering, she sighs. "This is crazy."

"I know," Quinn breathes out.

"So," Kayleigh turns to Quinn. "I want you to go on a little trip."

"What?"

"Your memories are taking a while to get here, so maybe if you jog it a little bit, things will come faster." She receives blank stares. "I want you to go to their home town."

"I can't exactly just go on a trip across the country on a whim," Quinn deadpans.

Kayleigh grins. "Of course, you can."

"No, I can't," Quinn states firmly.

"You'll find a way," Kayleigh grins as she pats the brunette's head.

xoxo

Santana finds Quinn sitting at the edge of the stage, her hostaged book in hand.

"Give it to me," she states with her hand out once she reaches the blonde.

Quinn looks up from the book to give the girl a smile, before continuing reading. "Just let me finish it."

Santana's eyebrows furrow as she crosses her arms. "You asked me to come here to watch you read?"

"No," the blonde sighs. "I wanted to talk to you. I'm just a bit distracted at the moment."

The brunette groans and makes a move to leave, but Quinn sees and hurriedly grabs the girl's wrist. Santana turns back to her with her eyes cold. "What?"

"Just stay," Quinn pleads. "Please."

"Why should I?" Santana asks.

"Because I want to fix this."

"You have nothing to fix, Quinn."

Quinn shakes her head. "I do. I want to fix us."

"Us?" Santana asks, incredulous. "What are you talking about?"

"I fucked us up. I let my insecurities get a hold of me and I hurt you," Quinn says, her eyes kept on the other girl's shoes that she now finds insanely interesting.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Quinn sighs. She doesn't like the new sarcastic tone of voice Santana is using. This isn't the Santana she knows. This is the Santana she ruined. "I'm sorry."

"Like that's going to fix anything."

Quinn looks up to brown eyes burning with hurt and pain. "I know it won't, but I'm asking you for a chance to try again."

Santana scoffs. "To try and break me again? I don't think so."

"I'm not going to do that," Quinn mutters. "Just, please, give me a chance. It's a lot to ask for, I know."

"It is a lot to ask for," Santana states, her eyes unwavering. "But, I'm not a horrible person. You gave me a chance back then, only to humiliate me. Give me some time to think about this."

Quinn nods, already feeling herself smile. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."

"No. You're considering it, and I have to thank you for that."

"Whatever. I'll give you my answer when you get back from that trip of yours."

Quinn's head tilts in confusion. "What trip?"

xoxo

"Tell me again how Kayleigh managed to convince us to travel across the country on a whim."

Rachel sighs as she continues to watch the landscape change from the window. Quinn is driving and is constantly making Rachel ever talking to her in that library.

"Because she told Santana that you were taking me to see my long lost relative over in Tallahassee, and you jumped at the opportunity to prove your worth to her," Rachel breathes out. "This is ridiculous."

Quinn tightens her grip on the steering wheel. "I know."

Rachel takes her eyes off the scenery to regard the blonde. "You're nervous."

Quinn nods. "I am."

xoxo

"Who are we looking for again?"

Rachel looks back at the paper in her hand. "Danielle Miller. She's in apartment 3-B."

Quinn nods and pushes the doorbell for said apartment. "Who is she again?"

"Tricia's little sister."

Quinn nods. "Right."

The intercom buzzes and a throaty voice calls out, "Yes?"

"Danielle Miller?" Rachel asks.

A pause. "Who is this?"

"Umm, I'm Rachel Berry and I'm with my friend Quinn Fabray," Quinn budges her eyes out at Rachel revealing their names to a person they don't know but Rachel waves her off. "We wanted to ask you about your sister."

There is a longer pause. "How do you know her?"

This time, Rachel looks to Quinn for help.

"That's not really something we can discuss over the intercom," Quinn says.

"I'm probably going to regret this, but… Come on up."

xoxo

Danielle's apartment is messy and filled with countless sheet music and instruments. Rachel has to bite her lip to contain her excitement over a guilty pleasure of hers. Quinn just marvels at the paintings strewn along the walls. She can say they're an amateur's work, but they hold a lot of emotion.

Danielle is a short blonde girl, almost as short as Rachel is. She regards the two of them with cautious eyes as she makes them sit on the sofa. She takes her seat on a huge green beanie bag.

"So," she breathes out. "How do you know my sister?"

Rachel and Quinn share a look.

"Tricia Miller," Quinn says. "She was in a relationship with the ex girlfriend of my… uhh, cousin, Nicole."

Danielle's eyes widen in realization. "So that's why you look so familiar. You have Nicole's eyes."

"You know them?" Rachel prods.

Danielle nods. "Trish and I were close despite being born ten years apart. She told me all about Nicky and Alex."

"What did she say?"

Danielle thinks for a moment. "Trish really loved Alex, but you know, Alex was head over heels with Nicky." She adds with an eye roll, "For some unknown reason."

"Why? Was Nicky an asshole?" Rachel asks, sending a playful glare Quinn's way. She receives a frown in response.

Danielle laughs. "Not really. But, she was… How do I put this? Nicky fucked up a lot with Alex."

Rachel nods. "I know. It must run in the blood."

Quinn frowns, not amused. "What happened with Trish?"

"After the accident?" Danielle asks. Rachel shoots the two blondes a confused look. "You don't know about it?"

"I do," Quinn says. "But, Rachel doesn't."

"Oh, well. Should I?"

Quinn nods.

"Alex and Nicky were in a car crash just weeks after their high school graduation. Alex was Valedictorian, and Trish was her Salutatorian," Danielle says with a small smile.

"Oh," Rachel breathes out.

Danielle bites her lip, as she tries not to cry. "Trish… She-She didn't take it very well. She committed suicide after their funeral."

"I'm sorry," Rachel says.

"It's fine. I don't blame anyone for it. It was her decision."

"She must have really loved Alex," Quinn observes.

"She did. But she was also really good friends with Nicky."

Rachel and Quinn's eyes widen. "They were?" they both ask.

Danielle nods. "Trish knew from the start that she would always be Alex's second choice. She was just that much of a martyr."

Rachel smiles. "She was in love."

Danielle smiles back as she wipes a few tears that escaped. "Do you want to see where they're buried? It's just a ten minute drive from here."

xoxo

They find themselves standing in front of three tombstones laid next to each other. Quinn drops on both knees to run her fingers over the engraving.

_Alexandra Nichols 1975-1993_.

Rachel tugs on Danielle's sleeve and whispers to her, "Maybe we should give her some privacy." The blonde nods and they leave the girl alone.

Quinn smiles to herself, thankful for what Rachel did. She moves her eyes to the tombstone on Alex's left.

_Tricia Miller 1976-1993_.

She sighs. "You weren't someone to hate, were you?"

She turns her attention to Alex's right.

_Nicole Vause 1975-1993_.

She runs her fingers over the inscription. Somehow, seeing her past self's tombstone makes it all feel real. "You fucked up a lot, didn't you?" She chuckles to herself. "We fucked up. But you got the girl back. Will I get mine back?"

She feels herself smile as a breeze sets in, as if saying that she should have hope. Hope that things will work out in the end.

xoxo

_AN: Longer chap! I'm cutting the amount of short chapters and combining them to become longer chapters! Yay? Yay!_

_Also, with the amount of deaths in this story, I feel like Rowling._

_A side note, Santana's book that Quinn stole? That's the last book in the Night Angel series by Brent Weeks. Lovely trilogy. Superb writing. Vi Sovari is hot. You should check it out and not let me fangirl on my own here._


	11. Chapter 10

_AN: Cheers for reaching 100 reviews. Kisses to all of you._

xoxo

**Present Day**

The ride back to Lima is quiet. Quinn keeps her eyes on the road and lets her mind travel a hundred miles per hour in silence. Rachel shoots concerned glances to the girl between pauses in texting with Danielle on her phone, but doesn't say anything when the blonde would suddenly shake her head. She knows Quinn is battling with herself. It's exactly what she and Danielle are talking about.

Once the sign for welcoming in Lima becomes visible, Rachel lets out a long sigh. The sky is dark and it's way past midnight.

"What's wrong?" Quinn asks, shooting a quick glance to the girl.

"Santana is probably still up and waiting for me," Rachel says worriedly.

Quinn's eyes widen in realization. "You live with her."

The brunette nods. "She has that huge house all to herself. My fathers thought it would be best if I were to accompany her there."

Quinn bites back the instinctual remark about the girl having two fathers. Instead, she says, "My parents are probably already asleep."

Rachel hums in agreement. "Why don't you stay for the night?"

Quinn hits the brake harshly and they both get pushed forward. Thankfully, they are wearing seatbelts.

"What the hell, Quinn?" Rachel growls out, as she tries to calm her heart.

"We're here," the blonde says, motioning to the mansion with wide eyes.

Rachel watches her cautiously. "Are you coming to stay over?"

"I don't think that's wise." Quinn is sure it isn't. Santana is yet to give her an answer and she doesn't want to bombard the girl with her presence in her own house, even if it's by Rachel's request.

Rachel grins at her. "She's fine with it," she says while holding out her phone. Quinn squints and she can see the message vividly.

"You're sneaky," she comments. Rachel just shoots her a cheeky grin in response.

Rachel opens her mouth to reply, but she gets interrupted by a light rapping on Quinn's window. The blonde clutches her heart in an effort to calm her thundering heart as she turns around. Santana shoots her an apologetic look. Quinn rolls her window down once she's sure her heart rate is back to normal.

"You're staying over, right?" Santana asks. Quinn nods dumbly in response. "Lovely. I'll open up the gate." With that, she runs off to click something from the other side of the wall, and the gate opens. Rachel motions for Quinn to drive the car into the house, which she does.

Quinn parks Rachel's car in the empty garage. She walks out to see Santana opening Rachel's door for her. Quinn couldn't help but smile at the chivalrous gesture.

Santana spots her and pouts. "Why did you get out already? I wanted to open your door for you and be all gentlemanly and stuff."

This time, Quinn really couldn't stop her grin. "Do you want me to go back in?" Santana nods enthusiastically as she moves to the driver's side of the car. Quinn comes back inside the car and closes the door, crossing her arms over her chest expectantly. The brunette opens the door for her with a grin. Quinn bites back her lip to try and hide her smile, but she ultimately fails. Santana holds out her hand for the blonde to take.

"How very gentlemanly of you," Quinn teases as she takes the hand offered to her, and allows the girl to help her out of the car.

Santana grins. "I'm nothing if not chivalrous."

Rachel rolls her eyes at the two, but doesn't let her attention stray far from her phone. "If you're done making the sexual tension around thicker, I'd actually like to show Quinn her room."

Quinn blushes at the comment while Santana frowns. The brunette glances at the other girl's hand. "Who are you texting?"

The blonde's blush slowly subsides as she grins devilishly. "Is it that girl from earlier?"

"What girl?" Santana demands, taking on a protective tone.

Rachel shoots Quinn a glare, while waving Santana off. "It's no one."

Santana doesn't waver. "Now I'm sure it's not no one."

"Her name is Danielle," Quinn quips, her grin growing when Rachel's death glare grows colder.

The taller brunette's eyes narrow. "Rachel."

The girl in question gives her an innocent look. "What? Why are you suddenly concerned in who I text?"

"Because you never text, Rach," Santana deadpans.

"Never?" the blonde asks, suddenly curious.

Santana shakes her head, never taking her eyes off of her best friend. "She believes they are a waste of time. Rather, she believed."

Rachel sighs in exasperation. "Whatever. Quinn probably wants to go to sleep now," she shoots a pleading glance at the blonde who just smiles gleefully.

"Not really. I'm very interested in this."

Rachel's jaw slacks. "Really, Quinn?" The two others nod. "Ugh, fine. So I've been texting Dani. Big fucking deal."

"Dani, huh?" Santana says. "Is she good, Quinn?"

The blonde shrugs. "I'm not sure. We didn't really talk much."

This causes Santana to narrow her eyes into slits. "Talk," she orders Rachel.

The girl valiantly tries to maintain eye contact with Santana and maintain her stubborn stand, but when the taller girl arches an eyebrow, she sighs. "Her name is Danielle Miller. She's seventeen years old. She's a budding musician and artist. God, Santana, you should have seen her paintings and heard her sing."

Santana's features soften upon hearing her best friend gush. "Well, well. What do we have here? Are you smitten with someone, Rachel Barbara Berry?"

The girl has the decency to blush and nod. Quinn grins widely at the admission. Santana seems absolutely ecstatic.

"Go to your room, young lady," she playfully scolds.

Rachel rolls her eyes at her friend's antics but goes nonetheless, leaving Santana and Quinn smiling in the garage. They sit in comfortable silence, until Quinn finally asks the question playing on her mind.

"Are you okay with all this?"

"With Rachel liking a girl? Of course," Santana answers.

Quinn rolls her eyes. "You know that's not what I'm talking about, but that's good to know."

"Well, what are you talking about?"

"Me staying over. Are you okay with it? Is Kayleigh okay with it?"

The brunette shrugs. "I don't know."

Quinn gapes at her. "You didn't ask her?"

"Why should I?"

"She's your girlfriend."

"So?"

Quinn rolls her eyes so hard that she's sure they already rolled to the back of her head. "So? She's your girlfriend. She has the right to know these things."

"I'll tell her if she asks," Santana dismisses.

"But-"

Santana sighs and holds up a finger to halt the girl. "Will something happen between us? No." Santana shrugs. "I trust Kayleigh to trust me."

Quinn bites her lip at the word. She could see Santana spitting out those hateful words at her vividly. It hurt, but she buried it away. She deserves it. So she nods, and follows the brunette inside her home.

xoxo

Quinn sits down on the fluffy bed. It's soft and it almost feels as if she's being engulfed by the pearl white mattresses. She can't help but grin.

"So," Santana breathes out. She's leaning on the doorframe to the guest bedroom Quinn has been assigned in. Rachel's room is just down the hall, and the two could hear her muffled voice probably talking to Dani on the phone. Quinn hasn't been in before, but she knows Santana's room is in the upperfloor.

"So?"

Santana bites her lip in hesitation. "I have an answer."

Quinn audibly gulps. "And?"

Santana nods to herself. "I'll give you a chance," Quinn grins. "But," Santana adds with a finger held up. "You're going to help me with something."

Quinn nods eagerly. "Anything."

"I want you to help me propose to Kayleigh."

xoxo

_AN: Umm, what?_

_Anyway, I know I said longer chapters, but this seemed like a fitting place to end the chapter. Also, to the Danchel part of this one, I have no idea what I was thinking as I wrote that. A crackship maybe? I dunno!_

_Next update will probably be tomorrow after I finish this stupid essay we have to write for Communications class._

_Also, can we talk about Dani's part in Roar? Did not expect that. :')_


End file.
